Stealing Blackreach
by RubyPele
Summary: The Dragonborn convinces Brynjolf to accompany her to Blackreach, setting off a cascade of strange events. A sometimes funny romantic adventure. f!DragonbornxBrynjolf, M!
1. Chapter 1

"Well lass, what did you have to tell me?" asked Brynjolf as he slipped into the seat opposite her. She drained her tankard of mead, caught Vekel's eye and flashed him two fingers, then leaned back and smiled at Brynjolf.

"Remember Irkngthand? More importantly, do you remember how much we made off it, not even counting the Eyes?" She paused as Vekel brought their drinks and set them on the table, then she took another swig as Brynjolf nodded at her expectantly. "Well, I discovered another Dwemer ruin-never mind how, long story-but the important part is that it's so big that it makes Irkngthand look like a broom closet, and it's been inaccessible to most people for thousands of years. Weirdest key I've ever seen, like a little metal ball. Anyway, the wizard who told me about it in the first place called it Blackreach."

At this Brynjolf nearly choked on his mead. _Blackreach? Was the lass mad?_ He had heard the name once or twice from Gallus, but even he had considered it mythical rather than a real place. And yet...if it _was_ real, the woman across from him would be the one to find it. For whatever reason, extraordinary things seemed to happen around her, things he had a hard time believing even when he had been present.

She continued, "...full of all sorts of old treasures, more than I could possibly carry at the time, and I barely even scratched the surface exploring it! So now that all this trouble with Alduin is done, I was thinking about heading back down there. I thought you might want to see it, and of course share in the loot." She fiddled with her tankard and looked at him expectantly, blue eyes widening a fraction as she searched his face for an answer.

Brynjolf's thoughts were a tangled mess. There was always plenty of work needing his attention around the Guild. Keeping a group of thieves working together-or at least not against each other-was quite a time-consuming and delicate task. Coordinating jobs and contacts also ate into his time. He was needed here. He could send another of the thieves with her, maybe Rune or Cynric. He _should_ send someone else with her.

However, the way she described it...if anything, the lass had a gift for understatement, meaning that the trip would definitely be more than worth it. He thought back on Irkngthand, remembering the frustration as they tracked Mercer Frey and the terrible _stench_ of the Falmer, but also remembering the incredible majesty of the dwarven ruins and the huge amount of riches they hauled out of it. As he looked into her wide blue eyes, he found himself nodding.

"It sounds intriguing, and more importantly, profitable. If there's anywhere near what you say is there, it'd be a shame to leave it be. I just need to take care of some things around here first and set things up for when we're gone. Oh, and where is it, anyway?"

...

As she and Brynjolf made plans to leave in a week's time, the tension she had refused to acknowledge began to melt away. Of all the people she had met in her travels around Skyrim, he alone made her feel like a young girl eager to impress.

Actually, one of the reasons she enjoyed the company of the thieves was how they treated her as just another thief, rather than a legend. Not that they didn't respect her, of course, but they were nowhere near as sycophantic as even the jarls were these days. Even Maven Black-Briar spoke kindly to her, in public at least.

"So I'll see you in Windhelm in a week's time, lass," Brynjolf said as he stood. She nodded to him and watched as he made his way back towards the cistern, lost in her thoughts of supplies and maps.

"Enjoyin' the view?" Delvin sat in the recently vacated seat across from her, and she started.

"I wasn't-I mean I...I was just thinking!" she blurted defensively.

Delvin chuckled and replied, "Thinkin' about Brynjolf's ass is more what I saw you doin', boss. Not that it's any of my business, anyway. What's this trip you two were plannin'? You both gonna leave us for a while?"

She tried not to show her embarrassment as she realized that she had indeed been staring at Brynjolf's posterior, and jumped at the opportunity to go with a change in subject. "Yeah, but we won't be too long. A month at the most, I'd say, but probably only a couple weeks. There's this big Dwemer ruin I found, and I need someone to watch my back who won't bring all the Falmer down on us at once. It's bound to be full of all sorts of valuable loot from what I saw, but I was in a bit of a rush at the time so I didn't get to go through much."

"Sounds good, boss. No better source for a tip than your own eyes. Ya know Vex and I will make sure this lot doesn't kill each other while you're gone. Just be careful and hurry back, eh? It'd be a shame to lose the one who beat this place back into shape." Delvin stood and walked over to Vex, presumably to tell her what he'd found out.

The Dragonborn also stood and gathered her belongings, and returned to her house to prepare and pack for the trip.


	2. Chapter 2

A week later found the Dragonborn fussing over her horse as she waited for Brynjolf to show up at the stables in Windhelm. The big black horse with red eyes was imposing, but well behaved as long as he or his mistress wasn't threatened. Shadowmere was his name, presumably bestowed by his former mistress. She immediately squelched the line of thought, knowing it would only lead to melancholy. The horse was by far the best thing about her time with the Dark Brotherhood. At the other end of the spectrum was her connection to the Night Mother. Although she was able to delegate all her other duties, the Mother would only speak to her, necessitating regular trips to Dawnstar, a dreary frozen hole of a town on the sea.

The sound of hooves made her look up. A pair of riders were trotting in from the south. It couldn't be him, riding with someone else...could it? _Who would be riding up here with him? Maybe someone on a job in Windhelm. If that's even him..._ She squinted, cursing the way the snow seemed to whirl thickest right where she wanted to see.

Finally, when the riders had nearly reached the foot of the slope to the stables, they stopped. The larger one dismounted, then lifted the smaller figure off the other horse. It seemed to her that they held each other a moment longer than necessary, although it was probably just in her head. The larger figure took the two horses' leads and headed towards the stable, while the smaller person turned towards the farms and the caravan.

Realizing she was gawking like an idiot, she quickly turned back to Shadowmere and patted his nose. While trying to remain aware of the activity around her, she murmured silly praise at the horse, feeding him an apple off the palm of her hand. "That's my good boy, my brave Shadow loves his apples, doesn't he..."

"Lass?"

When she looked up, she saw that it was indeed Brynjolf who had arrived. He was eyeing Shadowmere cautiously. Behind him, the stableman was leading one of the two horses away, the other horse left tied to a post. She smiled and turned to him. "Oh good, you're here. Had an uneventful trip from Riften, then?" She started to lead her horse out.

"A bit dull, actually," he answered, falling into step with her on the side away from the big black horse. "I have to ask, though, lass-I've never seen a horse like that before, and I've seen many a horse, and stolen quite a few of them at that-but where does one find a horse like that?" he asked her, gesturing at Shadowmere.

She chuckled and said, "You don't wanna know," then looked at the quizzical look on his face and dissolved into giggles again. Finally, she managed to quit laughing and told him that Shadowmere was a Brotherhood horse.

With that revelation, Brynjolf nodded soberly and busied himself with his own horse. The Dragonborn mentally cursed herself for not just leaving it a mystery. Who wants to be reminded that they're traveling with an assassin, anyway? And the giggling, which she very nearly started doing _again_ as she remembered the comical confused look he had given her. No doubt he thought her a homicidal madwoman. _Dammit._

_...  
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By the time they neared Raldbthar, Brynjolf was thoroughly sick of riding and glad to get off his horse and stretch his legs. They left their horses to graze near a small copse of trees and continued on foot up the slope, the weather getting progressively snowier and windier. He was relieved when he spied the dark outline of a Dwemer tower looming ahead through the curtains of white. He had to hurry to catch up to the Dragonborn, who was rushing ahead to the building.

"I'm glad these doors were still open!" she exclaimed as he crossed the threshold into what he now realized was an elevator. "There's no way to open those doors from the outside, and we would've needed to go through most of Raldbthar itself if they'd been shut."

"Good thing we didn't then," he replied, "although I'm just glad to be off my horse for a while. I'm ready when you are, lass." He gestured to the lever in the middle of the room.

"I have something for that, actually," she said, patting various pockets and triumphantly holding up a small jar, which she then casually tossed to him.

He reflexively caught it, giving it barely a glance before tucking it away. "Thanks lass, I'll use it when we stop for the night."

She smiled and nodded in return and flipped the lever, sending them grinding downwards into the dark.

The platform reached its destination after a few minutes, setting off a cacophony of clanking and whirring. At the end of the exit corridor, metal bars slid into the floor, revealing large cogs and machinery barely illuminated by a bluish glow. A strange greenish-blue fog made it difficult for him to see anything beyond the machinery.

"Well, here we are. Wait 'til you see this, it's amazing!" bubbled the Dragonborn excitedly. "C'mon!" She waved him towards her and they quickly but silently made their way to the end of the corridor, where she turned and watched him expectantly.

Brynjolf stopped and looked around in wonder. Although it was dim and somewhat foggy, he could make out humongous tower-sized mushrooms which were the source of much of the dim blue light. Not far in front of him was a small shallow body of water. To his right, he could just barely make out a massive building rising on a hill in the distance. As he turned to the grinning woman on his left, he saw behind her a gravity-defying lacework of Dwemer stone ramps and towers.

"This is...unbelievable, lass," he told her. "Who would've guessed this was down here? It's almost like another world entirely."


	3. Chapter 3

"When you said it was the size of a hold, I had a hard time imagining it, but...I can't even see the other side!" Brynjolf whispered to her in awe.

As she looked around to get her bearings, she noticed much of her tension was gone, at least for now. She focused on the bulk of the larger buildings in the middle, remembering having seen it on her mad dash for the Elder Scroll. She pointed them out to Brynjolf.

"I think we should find somewhere to rest for the night first, and we can head there when we're fresher. It's easy to lose track of time down here, but for now at least we know it's almost evening. Let's follow this old road for now. Keep an eye out for Falmer and their damn bugs."

They silently made their way down the muddy old road, looking for some sort of a defensible shelter in which to rest. They ran into a pair of Falmer, which she quickly took down with her bow before they noticed the two thieves. As she went to check their bodies, she noticed a building off to their right.

"Hey, let's check in there!" she whispered excitedly, motioning to the large door. They cautiously opened the huge door, which let out a low squeaky groan. She winced and looked around for signs of movement, but saw none and proceeded into the building.

Inside, the building was empty and strangely untouched by Falmer. They crept down the hall, which opened up to a huge empty room with a stone platform presiding over it. To the right was another hall, which they followed to what must have been barracks, as it was filled with single stone beds. They continued to follow the hall, at the end of which was a huge room with a double bed and access to the stone platform they had seen earlier. Two small chests were on the platform.

"Well, at least there's these chests," she remarked as she opened one. Inside was a fair bit of jewelry, including some enchanted pieces, and a few gems. She motioned graciously for Brynjolf to check out the other, which turned out to contain similar items. "And I think we found a place to rest for the night. It doesn't stink too much, and there are beds. Stone beds, but I suppose it's better than the floor."

"Aye, and if there's more like that," Brynjolf said, gesturing at the pile of loot they'd just pulled from the chests, "we should be set for a while, lass."

She smiled at him happily. "I guess we should go back to that barracks room, then." She scooped it all up into a small bag, which then practically vanished from her hands, presumably to somewhere on her person.

As they walked back down the hall, she offered to take first watch. "That'd be great," he replied. "I feel like I haven't slept in forever."

After a second's pause, she asked, "So, did you ride all the way from Riften overnight?"

"Aye, we did," he answered. "I was actually planning to get to Windhelm the night before, but then Tonilia asked if she could ride with me because she needed to talk to one of the Khajiit in the caravans. By the time she was ready to go, over half the day was gone and we had to rush to make it when we did."

She thought he looked a bit annoyed at this, but the expression was gone from his face so quickly she wasn't sure. _Reading an experienced thief and con man is not easy, dammit!_ She had heard the rumors about Tonilia and Brynjolf from Dirge, and couldn't help but be curious about the two. _Am I...jealous? _she thought to herself. _No, of course not! Why would I be?_ Yet she still felt like she had a burning lump in her stomach.

They had arrived in the barracks, so she wished him a good night and decided to stand watch just outside the door. From the looks of it, however, it would be a quiet night.

...

Brynjolf was relieved when she shut the door behind him. Being alone was somewhat rare for him, since he tended to spend most of his time surrounded by his guildmates, and he was looking forward to some uninterrupted sleep. He picked one of the beds away from the door and sat on it. Unfortunately, that made his sore thighs from riding flare up, and he winced.

_I suppose I could try that salve she gave me. _He searched his pockets and found the jar, then opened it and sniffed. _Lavender, mint, and...something. Guess I'll try it. _He pulled his pants down and started putting the salve on his inner thighs. His skin tingled and the pain faded almost immediately, to his relief.

He was almost finished when he accidentally dripped some on his cock. The tingle made him go hard almost immediately. He tried to wipe it off, but only succeeded in spreading the salve across more of his skin, which made him even harder.

He glanced at the door. It was still closed. Unless they were attacked, he would be alone in here for a few hours, which was plenty of time for him to take care of this and still get some sleep.

He took a little more salve from the jar with his finger, then lightly ran it around the now-exposed edge of his cock's head. He felt a sudden explosion of sensation that made him lightly gasp, and so he wrapped his hand around the shaft and slowly slid his hand up and down. He leaned back and lay down, sore thighs forgotten, and closed his eyes.

Normally he thought about his past experiences: a particularly exciting and furtive meeting with Tonilia in the Ratway, or that amazing thing Haelga did with her tongue, or any of a dozen other memories. Tonight though, the face of the Dragonborn kept intruding where once were other women, despite his best attempts to revive his pleasant memories.

Finally, he gave in and thought of her: her lips wrapped around his cock while she kneeled in front of him, or her legs wrapped around his body as he plunged into her again and again. Suddenly he was coming harder than he had in years, and he had to stop himself from crying out loud.

A wave of exhaustion hit him as the last spasms of his orgasm ceased. He hastily wiped himself off as he slipped into his bedroll, and was instantly asleep.

...

_A/N: I was terribly nervous about this chapter! I hope this isn't too...racy? Cheesy? Over the top? Maybe I'm just being silly._


	4. Chapter 4

Although the Dragonborn often needed to go without sleep and was accustomed to little rest, she was still glad to lay down for a few hours. Unfortunately, even her sleep was rarely restful, as she still suffered from the nightmares that had started during her time as a werewolf in the Companions. The disease may have been cured, but her memories remained.

That night, she managed to sleep for a couple hours before waking up to find herself half howling and half screaming, sitting upright on her bed in her shift. Brynjolf was already through the door with his daggers ready, looking around for attackers and clearly avoiding looking directly at her.

She quickly grabbed her armor and pulled it on while calling out, "It's okay, Bryn, just a dream. Sorry about that..." Despite her best efforts, she could feel her cheeks burning, if not her whole body.

He sheathed his daggers and pointedly faced away from her. "It's okay lass, it happens. You're not the first I've known to do strange things in their sleep. I remember one recruit we had who kept pissing in odd places while sleepwalking. We thought it was funny right up 'til he got Mercer's desk and the Guild's ledger." He paused for a second as she giggled. "I think I know now why he disappeared not long after."

She stopped giggling at that, although she still felt much more at ease. She had finished dressing as he spoke. "You can turn around now, I'm decent."

He turned around and looked at her and smirked, raising an eyebrow. "I'd say you're more than decent, lass."

She could feel herself blushing again, so she moved to don her mask. "Well, thank you. I wouldn't want to offend the delicate sensibilities of the Falmer, now would I?" She smirked back at him before covering her face, and continued smiling even under the mask.

...

Brynjolf could hardly believe his eyes when ran into the room. Rather than seeing his guildmaster engaged in desperate battle with a group of Falmer, he saw her sitting up in bed in her underclothes. Her head was thrown back with her mouth open in a howl, which made her breasts heave. He'd just caught a glimpse of a nipple through the thin cloth before he realized he was staring, and had quickly started to look around the room as if seeking attackers. He hoped the thick leather of his armor would hide the other evidence of his charade, but knew from experience it wasn't always so.

So when she told him it was clear, he was relieved to turn around and face away from her without fear of attack. He started telling her a story about a sleepwalking thief he hadn't thought of in years, mainly because it was the first thing that had popped into his head and he felt he needed to say something to distract himself from the half-naked woman behind him. He was almost finished when he realized that the story didn't exactly have a happy ending. At least that memory served to quell his ardor a bit.

They made their way out of the building and headed towards the massive complex they had seen the day before. An enormous yellowish globe hung in the middle, and he could see a huge column of rock studded with buildings and platforms all the way to the top of the cavern. As they neared it, he realized it was not just a few massive buildings, but a walled city of sorts. Unlike the cities to which he was accustomed, the Dwemer must have built up and down rather than outwards. _An entire city, ripe for the plucking! _

They circled the city, admiring the strange flora and avoiding the more dangerous fauna. Falmer were clearly inhabiting it now, although they didn't seem to venture far from it with the exception of a few clusters of huts. From time to time she would stop and mine an especially valuable ore vein, and he would keep an eye out for trouble attracted to the noise. Finally they found a sewer tunnel that looked like a promising way to sneak into the city.

As they entered the sewers, Brynjolf looked around them. There were many levels above them, and far too many Falmer for his liking. The place stank of them, and occasionally he could see a pale bent figure scurry from here to there.

Just then, a Falmer crept out from around the corner in front of them. He pulled out his daggers, but the creature was already falling with feathers sprouting from its chest. The Dragonborn, bow still in hand, was sneaking forward to look around the corner. She waved him forward with her and they continued onward and upward through the ruin in much the same manner.

On the infrequent occasions when their enemies got within melee range, he rushed to put himself between them and her and take them down with his daggers. Truly, it wouldn't do for him to let her do everything, right? And he _could_ use the practice. After a particularly nasty fight with one of the Falmer spellcasters, he turned to find her mere inches away from him, mask removed, smiling rather happily from under a layer of blood and filth.

"You okay, lass?" he asked her, looking into her eyes.

She grinned wider and replied, "Never been better!"

He chuckled with her for a minute, admiring her beauty despite the filth and the way her hair stuck out in all directions. Their laughter ceased but the eye contact did not, lasting a few seconds longer before they both seemed to realize how close they were to each other. She turned and slipped her mask back on, pulling out her bow and moving along down the hallway. He could only follow.


	5. Chapter 5

She did her best to focus on the task at hand, despite her growing attraction to Brynjolf. She could no longer deny it, but that didn't mean she had to act on it. She was not eager to repeat what had happened with Karliah, Gallus, and Mercer, although she had her suspicions that things were not as simple as Karliah made them seem. How could the trust Gallus placed in Karliah have allowed Mercer to betray him unless Karliah had something to do with that betrayal? Karliah had been rather vehement in her assertion that her relationship with Gallus was wrong and the cause of all that followed. Also, Mercer had sounded surprisingly hurt, more than anything, when he had mentioned how Gallus had her. No, Karliah was not telling everything about that situation, the same as when she had offered her and Brynjolf to Nocturnal as compensation for her failure. Regardless of that, however, it was still wise to avoid complications with her second, and distractions down here could get them both killed.

They had reached the end of the sewers and entered the pumping station in hopes of finding a way into the main city. As they snuck in, she was surprised to see a few humans clothed in rags sitting on a bench. She motioned for Brynjolf to stop and take a look, and they shared a quizzical glance. They backed up a bit and she whispered to him, "What are they doing down here? Do you suppose they're captives?"

"I can't imagine anyone choosing to live down here, so they must be. But then where are their captors? And why do they have weapons?" he replied.

She frowned, considering this. "Maybe they're locked in here? I don't like it. Let's avoid them for now. Once, I freed some bandits from Falmer and then they tried to kill me, and I'm not going to make that mistake twice," she said ruefully.

He raised an eyebrow at this, no doubt hoping for more details, which would have to wait. "Aye, lass."

They managed to creep past the group at the table without incident. She ducked into a side room, which was filled with beds, some of which were occupied. She spied a chest on a table and swiftly emptied its contents into her pack. They found a few similar rooms, which they also emptied of valuables. Finally, they found a door that led out to the city.

It was surprisingly bright out in the city. They had exited onto a bridge that led to another building, and had a good view of much of the city. A few Falmer and humans were going about their business below, as if it was normal for Falmer and people to live together. The thought made her skin crawl; whatever the Falmer had been hundreds of years ago, they were nasty creatures now.

She motioned for Brynjolf to stay low, and when she thought no one was looking they rushed across the bridge to the other building. They slipped into the other building without incident and made their way down the steep spiral staircase they found inside. At the base of the stairs they found a doorway that opened onto a huge room with more people inside. Luckily, they were facing the other way, towards a platform on which a man was pacing. The room was otherwise empty, with a few doors leading back outside. Staying on the edge of the room in the shadows, they exited the nearest door, which happened to lead back into the city.

They stood motionless just outside the door, looking around to see if anyone had seem them exit. A few Falmer were still around, but they were easily avoided by the silent thieves. They quickly crossed the courtyard and headed towards the tallest building in the city. Inside they found even more Falmer which they failed to avoid, but at least they were guarding some chests filled with valuables so the fight was not in vain.

They also encountered another elevator and decided to see where it would lead them. "Hopefully this'll take us up to the higher parts of the building we saw from below," she said, crossing her fingers and flipping the switch.

...

As the platform ground to a halt and the doors opened, Brynjolf saw that they had arrived on a series of balconies overlooking Blackreach. He was struck again by how awe-inspiring the underground landscape could be, and moved closer to the edge to look around.

"Stay away from the edge, Bryn," she told him with a smile. "I don't want to have to scrape you off the ground."

He stretched to look down over the edge. Raising his eyebrows, he nodded at her. "You're not kidding. That's a long way down." He scooted towards the wall and away from the edge, gesturing to a platform on the left where a Falmer sat on a throne surrounded by lackeys. "Looks like we have company," he said as the creatures came running up a ramp towards them.

"There's a shit load of them!" she cried out to him. She was shooting arrow after arrow at the group attacking them, and he was doing his best to keep them back with his daggers, but it was costing them. "Behind me!" she ordered him as she stepped between him and the Falmer and set her feet. She took a deep breath and Shouted, "FUS RO DAH!" The sound was deafening, even in the huge cavern, and the pale creatures were blown off the edge.

He was stunned and stared at her for a moment, having forgotten about that particular ability of hers. She rarely used it in their line of work, as it tended to give away their position, especially to the sensitive ears of the Falmer. He realized she was shaking in front of him, and rushed to her side. "Lass, you okay?"

She pulled her mask off and faced him, and he realized that she was laughing. "I'm fine, sorry...their faces...!"

He smiled with relief, glad that she hadn't been poisoned or worse, and said "Well, let's look around..."

"Shhhh!" she said urgently, and he realized he could hear a roaring sound under the diminishing ringing in his ears. "That sounds like a dragon..."

...

_A/N: I just wanted to say thank you for all the reviews and favorites and such! It's inspiring to know that someone other than me is enjoying this. So thank you!_


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: I just wanted to say a few things. First and foremost, thanks for the reviews! Second, I am indeed trying to stay basically true to what you find in the game. That includes the enemies. Third, I just wanted to clarify that I've been trying to make a few subtle tongue-in-cheek jokes throughout the story about certain 'realities' of the game. Or maybe not so subtle. Or too subtle? I think I'm channeling Sheogorath now. And finally, rest assured that your patience shall be rewarded. That said, these next few chapters have been difficult for me to write, but kinda fun too. Actually, this whole story has been fun to write, and I hope it has been at least as fun to read, too!  
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...

She motioned for Brynjolf to wait as she crept closer to the edge. She could hear the dragon in the city below, but she wanted to verify it visually. _Why would a dragon be underground? How?_

Sure enough, she could see it below, illuminated by its fire breath. From this high above, it looked as though the courtyard was studded with candles, which were most likely Falmer being incinerated. She smiled to herself, knowing that while the dragon was wiping out the Falmer, the Falmer were also wearing down the dragon.

Turning, she hurried back to Brynjolf, and they returned to the lift. On the way down, she told him what she had seen, and they decided to see if they could take down the beast while it was still weakened from battling the Falmer. She still felt an obligation to take down any hostile dragon she encountered, because who knew if anyone would be able to do the same in the future? She could very well be the last Dragonborn, and she didn't intend to waste all her hard work by leaving an unknown dragon behind to become the next Alduin.

They exited the building quietly, keeping low and quiet and looking up for the dragon. Here and there a smoking corpse lay on the ground, and much of the ground was charred and covered in soot. She felt the dragon a split second before she heard it as it swooped overhead and then out of the city.

She rushed to the nearest gate and left the walls of the city, Brynjolf doing his best to keep up with her. Off in the distance she could see the dragon circling and returning. She took a deep breath and prepared to Shout as soon as it was in range, holding her bow in one hand and an arrow in the other.

Annoyingly, the dragon swooped in for a landing just outside of range, behind a hill. Cursing in her head, she raced to get a better vantage point and hopefully take the creature down. As she crested a rise, she stopped dead in surprise, causing Brynjolf to run into her from behind and nearly knock her off balance.

"This should be good," she whispered to him as she put a hand on his arm and pointed ahead. The dragon had landed in order to battle a giant, and she wasn't sure which would win. The giant swung its huge club at the dragon, hitting it squarely in the side of the head. The dragon roared and recoiled, then bathed the giant in fire, causing it to fall to its knees. Reaching forward with its long neck, it neatly bit off the giant's head and flung it away.

The dragon looked directly at them. It looked like it was laughing, despite being covered in blood, or maybe because of it. As it turned its body to face them, it addressed her in a deep voice like rocks grinding. "Dovahkiin...after so long trapped, your Thu'um has freed me, Vulthuryol. But now you wish to slay me. Krosis. We shall see, hm?"

She could tell the dragon was injured beyond being able to fly for now, but it remained a dangerous opponent nonetheless. As it opened its mouth to cover her in fire, she raised her bow and pelted it with arrows as fast as she could aim and shoot while backing away from the flames. The dragon advanced on her steadily, dragging itself along the ground with its wings.

...

Brynjolf was having trouble believing his eyes again. A dragon _and_ a giant? All the way down here, _and_ they were fighting each other? And then when it ripped the giant's head off and turned to them and _spoke_, he wanted nothing more than to disappear into the shadows and go somewhere, _anywhere_ else.

He didn't, however. Maybe it was because she was his guildmaster, or because he wasn't the kind of man to abandon his friends, or because she was carrying most of the loot. All he knew was that there was no way he was leaving her behind.

Instead he rolled to the side, away from the gout of flames spouting from the dragon's mouth. The beast was concentrating on the Dragonborn, who was pelting it with arrows from the edge of the fire's range, so he quickly circled around behind it. As it reared up and spread its wings, he rushed it madly, ducking under its outstretched wing and lunging with his dagger at the beast's neck. His blade found its mark between two scales, piercing a major blood vessel and showering him in dragon's blood as the creature died.

He quickly backed away from the huge corpse, not wanting to get crushed under the dead dragon's bulk. He turned to look for her, having lost sight of her during the fight, and was relieved to find her walking up to him. Without a thought, he swept her up in a crushing hug, closing his eyes and enjoying the feel of her. He felt her hug him back for a moment before pushing him away.

He heard a sound like a sudden gale blowing, and a glow surrounded her and the dragon. Now he remembered the old tales of how the Dragonborn devoured the souls of dragons. As he watched, the dragon's body dissolved into a light brighter than any fire, which seemed to surround her and then dissipate, leaving her glowing. _Just when I thought things could not get any stranger, here we go again. At least this won't kill us, though. And actually...the view is quite pleasant._ He couldn't help but admire how her curves were illuminated by the lingering glow from the dragon's soul, as if she were some sort of divine being. He was staring, but he didn't care.

She removed her mask and glanced at his face, then turned away slightly and stared down at the ground in front of her. The glow had mostly faded from her, leaving them once again cloaked in the shadows cast by the dim bluish light. He stepped over to stand in front of her again, bending down to try to meet her eyes. "Lass, that was impressive! I've never seen such a thing before." He reached out and gently lifted her chin to make her meet his eyes.

She smiled weakly at him. "You're the one who managed to cut its throat. I'd probably still be fighting it if you weren't here. Some dragon slayer I am!" she said ruefully.

"And how would I have gotten anywhere near the beast if you hadn't distracted it?" he countered. "To say nothing of your neat trick with its soul!" His voice lowered an octave. "We make a good team, lass," he murmured, stroking her chin with his thumb.

The feeling of her breath lightly brushing his hand made his heart pound and his groin ache. He saw her lower lip tremble and forgot about everything except how much he wanted to kiss the woman in front of him. His lips met hers an instant later, and she melted into his embrace. Their tongues met and twisted around each other as she wrapped her arms around him, one hand straying to caress his butt. He smiled against her mouth, breaking the kiss, and they looked into each others' eyes, breathing together for a moment as they held each other.

She broke the silence first, her voice made rough by emotion. "We...we should find shelter. I don't want us to get ourselves killed." She pulled away from him slowly, holding his hand and giving it a final squeeze.

He squeezed back, reluctant to let go but recognizing the wisdom in her suggestion. "Aye, lass."


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Super nervous about this one!_

...

The Dragonborn was giddy. It was a strange feeling for her. All of her past victories had come at a price. Someone always had to die, be they friend or foe, and she found it hard to rejoice at that. When she had destroyed Alduin, she had been so drained upon her return to Nirn that all she could feel was relief, and even that had been blunted by the sorrow of the dragons, especially that of Paarthurnax.

This time, however, she refused to entertain any regrets. She had spent too much time doing things for other people and not enough time on herself. The memory of being held, being _safe_ and content, drove her onwards. She was not a small woman, but being in his arms made her feel so. She found it strangely comforting. And when his lips met hers...well, she would've followed him off a cliff then, and smiled the whole way down.

She had to force herself to focus on her surroundings again. Just because she was thinking like young girl didn't mean she had to act like one. In doing so, she realized she recognized the area around them from her earlier trip to acquire the Elder Scroll.

"Just up that hill is an alchemist's lab that makes a good shelter. I stayed there once when I first came down here," she whispered to him. _And all we have to do is block the door, _she thought with satisfaction.

They reached the small building without any more trouble, which was a small miracle in her opinion. She stepped carefully over the remains of a dwarven sphere that she had destroyed her last time down here, and cautiously opened the door, bow at the ready.

Stepping into the room with Brynjolf, she was relieved to find it exactly as she had left it. All the equipment was present and unharmed, and even the poor alchemist's remains were still piled near the hearth. But more important in her hormone-addled state was the bed, not so much _necessary_ as convenient.

Having removed her mask to look around, she leaned her bow against the wall near the door and grabbed a nearby board to fasten across the entrance. "Last time I was here I had to rig this up. I'd just fought through Alftand on my own and was exhausted. This place was like a godsend, but I didn't want to end up like poor Sinderion there," she said, gesturing at the skeleton.

"Sinderion?" he asked her, bemused. "You named the skeleton?"

She laughed, realizing how it had sounded. "No, he had his journal on him. Turns out he was some sort of master alchemist. He had an apprentice who lives in the Rift. That's why I've been collecting those obnoxious red weeds, to give to her."

She nervously moved over to the hearth, adding some wood and then rearranging it. Absentmindedly, she leaned over and lightly breathed, "Yol," which set the wood blazing. Satisfied, she turned to face Brynjolf again.

He was looking at her with one eyebrow raised. "Did you just breathe fire?"

She blinked. "Uh, yeah, I guess I did." _Oh please don't get freaked out now, please don't!_

He smiled and stepped closer, setting her worries at ease again. "That must be useful. The more I see, the more impressed I am with you." He reached over and brushed her hair out of her face, caressing her cheek in the process.

She couldn't help but smile gently when he touched her, and this time she was the one to lean forward and kiss him. They lingered over the kiss, both wanting the experience to last as long as possible. When they finally broke off, both were panting with desire. Maintaining eye contact, she began unbuckling her armor as he did the same.

...

Brynjolf was apprehensive when they entered the small building. It was even darker inside, and he didn't want to stumble into a nest of Falmer. It lacked their stench, however, and his eyes adjusted quickly, revealing a small room with a variety of crafting equipment on one side and a living area on the other.

As they were chatting, she fiddled with the hearth in the center of the room. He was lost watching her movements, wanting to run his hands over all her curves but not wanting to interrupt her. When she lit the fire with a word, he was surprised but also glad for the opening.

And then they were kissing and his hands were once again exploring her body, but this time they were relatively safe. He was a little surprised to see her removing her armor first, but the look in her eyes made him rush to remove his own. She was eying him intently, almost predatorily, in a way that made him dizzy as all of his blood rushed downward.

They were both in their underclothes now, although his now covered little in front. His cock was remarkably clever at avoiding such restraints when aroused. Not that he cared; he was far too busy leaving a trail of little wet kisses all over her body, from her neck down to her chest and stomach. She pulled her top off, revealing her breasts, which he couldn't help but immediately kiss. He took a nipple in his mouth, nibbling lightly, and she moaned.

She pushed him away, and he looked up, startled. She smiled at him and he realized she'd managed to finish stripping them both while he was occupied with her breasts. "You little minx," he growled playfully. He scooped her up over his shoulder, her bare butt in the air, and carried her to the bed.

At the last minute, he remembered to let her down gently, since the bed was made of stone. _Damn crazy dwarves, sleeping on stone!_ Not quite the dramatic romantic gesture he had in mind, but slamming her body into the stone would've been much worse.

He lay down beside her, one hand on her side just below her breast, and she looked up at him. Her lips were parted and he could see she was flushed with arousal. He leaned over to kiss her, and fondled her breast. She pulled him closer, and he could feel her squirm with pleasure when his erection pressed against her.

Still kissing her, he tweaked her nipple as he moved his cock to rub gently between her lips where he knew it would please her most. He slowly ground against her for a few moments, until she moaned against his mouth, "Bryn, I need you in me, now...please..."

He felt her hand firmly grasp his shaft just below the head and guide him towards her opening. He could immediately feel how wet and aroused she was, and he had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop from coming right then and there. His momentary distraction allowed her to roll him onto his back and straddle him triumphantly. She smiled down at him from her perch with a wicked gleam in her eye and began to rock back and forth, her every movement a wave of pleasure for him.

He slid his hand down to find the little nub he had been grinding against earlier, and used his thumb to rub small circles around it, his palm flat on her mound. She moved faster and faster, and he kept pace with her, though his hand was cramping a bit from the angle...not that it mattered, because _damn_ she felt absolutely exquisite wrapped around his cock, and it served to help him delay his orgasm a bit. And when was the last time he'd had a woman ride him so enthusiastically? He couldn't remember.

Suddenly she was moaning his name, over and over, and he could feel her clenching around his hardness. He couldn't have held back any longer if he'd tried, thrusting his hips up to meet hers and groaning as he was pushed over the edge.

With his last few strokes, he pulled her close to him. He kissed her lightly on the forehead, saying, "Lass, I...I..."

She shifted off him to lay by his side, and then looked at him sleepily from the crook of his arm. "I've always loved it when you called me that."

He blinked, confused. "What? Lass?"

"Of course, silly. Anyway, what were you saying?"

He wasn't sure what to think about that, as he'd been calling women lass for years and years, and no one else had so much as blinked over it. "I was just thinking of how glad I am that I came with you. On this trip, I mean."

She smiled faintly at him. "I am too." She snuggled closer to him and closed her eyes, still looking happy even as she drifted to sleep. He watched her contentedly until he was also asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

_Today's is a bit short, sorry. Still feeling a bit iffy about these 'naughty' scenes. I don't want to be one of those authors that begs for reviews, but I appreciate every one and do try to take the feedback into account. I'm usually only 1-2 chapters ahead of what I post, so it does make a difference. Anyway, thanks for reading!_

...

She didn't sleep for long, but she didn't dream and woke up relatively refreshed. She was still snuggled next to Brynjolf, his arm encircling her protectively. She could just make out his face by the light of the dying fire, his lips parting as a quiet snore slipped out.

Smiling, she tentatively ran her fingers through his chest hair. When he continued sleeping, her hand followed the path of his hair downward. He was soft at first, so she fondled his balls, gently squeezing before returning to his manhood, which was now hardening. He stirred and pushed against her hand, but when she looked he was still asleep.

She carefully slid down along his side, feeling a bit mischievous. She started kissing his cock from the base along the underside towards the tip, which she started swirling her tongue around. Flicking her tongue in the tiny slit at the tip made him wake up gasping.

"Unh...oh, lass..." he moaned, letting her know that he was definitely awake.

She took his head into her mouth, carefully covering her teeth with her lips. She kept her tongue moving, teasing the underside as she slid him deeper into her mouth, one hand firmly grasping the base. His hand was on the side of her head now, not pushing but gently supporting her.

As she began to bob her head up and down on his cock, she groaned with pleasure, knowing the vibration would feel fantastic for him. Sure enough, it wasn't long before he was moaning urgently and his hips bucked towards her. Her mouth was filled with his salty semen, which she swallowed quickly before it could gag her. She quickly licked up the last traces from his head, giving it a little kiss before crawling up the bed to snuggle by his side again.

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight while he caught his breath. She allowed herself to relax into his arms with a happy sigh, pleased with herself for managing to surprise him.

...

Brynjolf wasn't sure when he woke up and realized that his dreams were not actually dreams but reality. He _was_ sure, however, that it was a fantastic way to wake up. He came quicker than he expected, given their earlier activity. _I could get used to this, _he thought sleepily.

As he lay there holding her, he felt a twinge of worry at how close they were becoming. When Gallus had died, Brynjolf had sworn to himself that he would never, ever let anyone close enough to do the same to him as he thought Karliah had done to Gallus. He hadn't really thought about changing things since the revelation of Mercer's betrayal. He had been too busy tracking down Mercer and rebuilding the guild to waste time on personal matters.

Although he still didn't think it wise to allow anyone too close, he was beginning to think maybe a little more flexibility would be acceptable. Especially with her; he knew her well enough by now to know that she got things done, no matter what, and if she had wanted him dead, he would've been gone before he knew it. He was a little surprised to realize that he already had given her his trust. Besides, they worked together like they had been training as a team for years. And the sex...well, he certainly did not have any complaints there.

He debated himself internally, unable to make a decision. _She woke you up by sucking your dick and swallowing your seed!_ said one part of him. _So WHAT, you know what happens when you get attached! No weakness, Bryn, _said the other part. The first part replied, _but you already _are_ attached._ He had nothing to say to that, because it was true.

He kissed her tenderly, giving up on his musings for now. Time enough for that later, when they rejoined the world. For now he was thankful for their cozy little Dwemer ruin where they could hide out for a little while.


	9. Chapter 9

_Thanks for reading! And thanks for the reviews!_

...

The Dragonborn was comfortable, which was a bit odd since she was laying on a stone bed in the midst of a Dwemer ruin inhabited by bloodthirsty monsters that had once been elves. She had Brynjolf's arms around her though, and he was kissing her in the sweetest way, planting little feathery brushes of his lips on her face. She caught his lips with her own, slipping one hand behind his head to lengthen the kiss.

She realized now that her earlier unease around him had been suppressed attraction. She was actually a bit embarrassed that she had remained oblivious for so long. First she had spent so much time trying to impress him, even inviting him along on this trip. And if she hadn't realized it by that point, she should've realized it from the pangs of jealousy she felt when he rode up with Tonilia.

_Tonilia._ She had forgotten about Tonilia in the battle- and lust-induced haze in which she had spent most of the last day. She wasn't sure if she should ask him about her or not. She didn't want to send him running, but now that she had remembered, she doubted she would be able to think of much else until she knew.

She broke off the kiss, laying her head on his shoulder and playing with his chest hair absently. "Bryn?" she asked him softly.

"Hmm?" came his reply, sounding muffled and rumbling due to her ear on his shoulder.

"I...I just wanted to ask you something. I was wondering...well, it's probably silly of me to ask this, but..." she stammered, trying to be casual and failing miserably.

"What is it, lass?" he asked curiously, smiling.

"Well, I've heard these rumors...about you and Tonilia having, um, a thing..." she finished lamely, seeing his smile fade.

"No, lass, we don't have a thing. We...have a history, of sorts, but that's all." He frowned, staring off in the distance, but he also squeezed her tight.

She was itching to know more details. _Why did people think it was still going on?_ It must have ended fairly recently, if it really _did_ end. She wanted more than anything to believe that it had, that he wasn't lying to her, but she hadn't made it this far alive by trusting people. No, she'd best keep her emotions in check. She could still have fun though, right?

...

Brynjolf was furious when he heard that there were _still_ rumors going around about him and Tonilia. They had actually had a short fling, but it was mostly physical and he had ended it. Ton was fun in bed, but she wasn't worth risking a conflict between him and Vekel that could tear the guild apart.

The woman in his arms looked unhappy, but she made no move away from him. He hugged her closer, hoping to clear her mind of the topic, but there was no change in her demeanor. He was going to have to fix this.

"Look, lass, it was short and I ended it a while ago. I won't deny that she might still have feelings, but I had no intention of creating a rift in the guild over her, which is what would've happened if Vekel had caught us or if she'd left him for me. Don't worry about her. She's no threat to you."

She looked up at him somewhat sheepishly, a faint blush on her cheeks. He couldn't help but smile; she somehow managed to look like an innocent maid, even though he knew she was anything but. He knew it would be a good time to start the discussion about how their new relationship would affect the guild, or rather how he did _not _want it to affect the guild, but he didn't want to darken the mood more. It could wait.

He slid one of his hands around to cup her breast, watching her reaction carefully. She tilted her body towards him, so he continued, rolling a nipple between thumb and forefinger. He scooted down a little, finding her other nipple and suckling it gently. She sighed and let out a little moan, and he felt her run her fingers through his hair.

He moved her onto her back and kissed both her nipples, then moved down between her legs. He gently slid a finger into her, finding her already very wet. She spread her legs wider and lifted her hips, and he ran his tongue between her lips, seeking and quickly finding the bump he was focused on. He remembered the old trick about writing his name or the alphabet with his tongue and went to work.

After slipping a second finger inside her, he began licking her faster, especially when he started to sense her nearing the edge. He felt her muscles spasm and a rush of wetness on his fingers, and heard her moaning his name. He kept going until she gently pulled his face away, looking at him adoringly, and kissed him deeply despite his messy face.

He tried to discretely wipe his face off, but she saw him and grinned. She grabbed her smalls and wiped his face, giggling the whole time. After she tossed them to the side, they again curled up together on the bed, his arm cradling her protectively as they tried to rest.


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: Chronic illness is a bitch. Sorry if the quality declines. I'm not as 'on' as I usually am.  
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...

The Dragonborn was relieved to hear that Tonilia would not be a problem. His explanation rang true to her; she knew him well enough by now to know he considered the guild his family, and in that respect he was very much a family man. _Hmm, does that make us the parents?_ she thought, amused at the image that formed in her head. _I guess that makes Delvin the pervy uncle._ She laughed out loud despite herself.

"What's so funny, lass?" Brynjolf wanted to know, a faint smile crossing his lips as he regarded her curiously.

"Oh, nothing really..." she replied as her laughter died down. "I was just thinking about things...the guild, you, me, Delvin..."

"Delvin?" he asked, no longer smiling. He looked perplexed and slightly concerned.

"Not like that!" she blurted quickly after seeing his expression change. "I was just thinking...if we're the mother and father, he's like the horny uncle."

He chuckled at that. "Oh, he's not so bad. He just likes to rile Vex."

"So does he also bait bears in his spare time? Sounds about as wise," she replied lightheartedly.

He laughed again. "Those two have been dancing around each other for years now. I'm not sure what he would do if she gave in to him."

"Oh, I think _I _know," she said seductively, running her hand along his chest.

"Hmmm..." he replied, pretending to consider the matter. "Maybe you could show me?"

"Maybe I could," she said coquettishly, slowly sliding her hand down between his legs while maintaining eye contact. She noticed his eyes dilating slightly as he watched her intently, and she lightly squeezed with the hand between his legs. His breathing was becoming a bit ragged, and she could feel him hardening again in her palm. She squeezed him again, and felt the flush of heat as more blood rushed to his cock.

He pulled her face to his and kissed her passionately. She moved to climb on top of him, but he stopped her. Still kissing her, he gently pushed her onto her back, his body covering hers. She reached down again to guide him inside her, mewling against his mouth as she felt him fill her.

...

Brynjolf took his time making love to her. He felt little urgency after the night's activities, but he was still a man, and a horny one at that. There was nowhere else he wanted to be more than here, inside her. He loved feeling how wet he made her, and how her warm silken walls would embrace his cock, especially when she came.

All things must end, however. Afterwards they lay together in a sweaty, sticky mess, panting but satisfied for a time. He was still thinking about what they would do on their return to Riften. He had to admit, her little joke about them being parents had stuck in his head. He had thought to conceal the new dimension to their relationship for a while, at least, or until someone outed them.

But maybe they didn't need to hide it. Maybe it was just a matter of presenting a unified front to the rest of the guild. Maybe it was even a _good _thing. Between the two of them, they could almost definitely persuade the others of that. But could he persuade himself?

She wouldn't betray him. How could she without betraying herself? _I bet Gallus thought the same about Mercer, though._ The little paranoid voice in his head was insidious, but it had also saved his life before. Surely that situation was different, though. She was _not_ Mercer, not in the slightest. Aye, she _could _be ruthless, savage, and merciless, but not without provocation or reason.

She was also an unlikely weapon against him. If anyone could defend herself, she could. He didn't have to check on her in a fight, although he did anyway. They had both assisted each other in battle, of course, but he could also tell that she didn't truly _need_ saving despite her appreciation for his help. No, anyone who tried to use her as a pawn would soon learn their mistake.

This brought to mind another issue, one he scarcely wanted to acknowledge. This woman was the stuff of legends. Would he really be okay with that? Or would he tire of being overlooked and ignored? Part of him loved having attention, even though much of his work depended on avoiding it. He knew she held the title of thane in several holds. Maybe he would enjoy the freedom that a veneer of respectability could give him, not to mention the easy access to the rich nobility. A scene flashed through his mind, of her distracting them with tales of Alduin's defeat while he emptied their pockets and manors. He almost had himself convinced.

That is, of course, assuming it even lasted. Not many women resisted his charms when he brought their full force to bear, but there were a few. Besides, maybe she was just having fun and didn't want anything more. Maybe for once it was _he_ who was the momentary conquest left with nothing but regrets.

He needed to quit thinking in ifs and maybes. He needed to find out what she was thinking. And, he supposed, that meant talking to her about it. _But not like a desperate young lad!_ He admonished himself, and was glad to realize she had fallen asleep in his arms again.


	11. Chapter 11

_Thanks to everyone who keeps coming back to read more, and especially to those who've reviewed! I truly appreciate it. The Divines reward a charitable soul...heh.  
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...

When next they woke, she knew they should get moving. It was hard to tell the passing of time underground, but they had surely rested enough. Fun as this was, there were still things to be looted, and home was sounding better and better.

She quietly slid out of bed, hoping to find something in her packs that would pass for breakfast. The fire was still lit, although it had died down quite a bit. Unfortunately, she hadn't brought much more than travel food, just some bread and cheese and a bit of dried up meat.

She glanced back at the bed and found Brynjolf awake, leaning on one elbow and watching her. He smirked when he saw her look at him. "Good...morning?" she ventured.

"Good something," he said, ogling her naked body shamelessly.

"I was going to make breakfast, but that would require real food," she told him. "As it stands, we have stale bread, hard cheese, and a little stringy venison that would make a better shoe."

"As tempting as that sounds, lass, I think I'll decline your offer," he replied dryly, scooting over to sit on the edge of the bed.

She sat down next to him and leaned her head on his shoulder. He slipped his arm around her waist as they scooted closer together. She sighed. "We should probably get dressed and back to it..."

"Aye..." he said softly. Neither of them moved.

Finally she gently pulled away. They got dressed quietly, occasionally helping each other with an awkward buckle or strap. When they were done, she faced him and put her arms around his waist to give him a hug.

She looked up at him. "So...I figure we should circle back, around the other side of the city. I think we covered most of it, so there's little point going back in. I just want to see if there's anything around the other side."

"Whatever you say, lass. I'll be with you."

...

After leaving the building, they headed back towards the other side of the city. They ended up having to wade through some of the wide streams that crossed through the cavern, leaving both of them with soggy feet. When they came across a tower that was clearly inhabited by a large colony of giant spiders, neither of them cared to explore it.

"I hate spiders!" she grumbled, wrinkling her nose. "They're stinky and venomous and just...icky!" She punctuated the statement with a shudder.

Brynjolf had to laugh. The same woman who ran towards a dragon the day before looked ready to run away from some spiders today. Not that he blamed her, though, because who likes spiders anyway? They _did _stink, especially their gooey venom, and their bites tended to fester.

"Well, you know I'd protect you," he said with a smirk, and she snorted in response. "But spiders _are_ pretty nasty."

"Then let's go around," she decided.

They continued on their way, meeting little resistance except for the occasional small party of Falmer. He was surprised by how peaceful it was. _I wonder if most of them were killed by that dragon._ On occasion they'd encounter another small building, but most of them were too ruined to enter. Sometimes they'd find an old chest in the ruins or in a Falmer hut.

Before long they had circled around to the other side of the city ruins, where they found another huge lift. She stopped and looked at it thoughtfully. He halted beside her and asked, "Do you know where that goes?"

"I'm not certain, but I remember reading that aside from Raldbthar and Alftand, Mzinchaleft and Irkngthand also connected to Blackreach. I know Irkngthand didn't have an elevator to the surface. Come to think of it, I never saw an entrance there either. Must've collapsed. Anyway, this is probably Mzinchaleft." She bit her lip and thought a while, then pulled out a map and studied it. "We should probably just go back to the Raldbthar entrance. Closer to home, and there's not much but mountains between the two on the surface. And we'll even know where we are, and hopefully our horses will still be around." With that, she started walking again.

Brynjolf wasn't sure that the underground route would be that much easier, but he knew the mountains could be treacherous, especially in bad weather. Besides, he would've followed her on authority alone, in addition to wanting to be near her.

_Closer to home._ He was looking forward to it, but he was dreading it all the same. He wasn't sure how people would react to them. He hoped they wouldn't. And although he had told the Dragonborn the truth, he knew well enough that the reason Tonilia refused to marry Vekel was him, which meant she would be none too happy when she learned.

He decided not to worry about it for now. _Can't be helped._ They rounded the city without any real trouble, although they also didn't find much of value, either. Finally they came to the edge of another large, shallow body of water with a columnar tower at its center.

"The Tower of Mzark," she said, pointing to it. "I had to go there to find an Elder Scroll. The good news is that we aren't far. The bad news is that we might have to get our feet wet again."

"Wait a minute, lass-an Elder Scroll? Did you just say you found an Elder Scroll?" He wasn't sure if he had heard right.

"Aye, that's part of that long story I mentioned. Honestly, if I hadn't lived it, I wouldn't believe it," she answered with a wan smile. She started walking along the shoreline, and he followed beside her, waiting for her to elaborate.

"Well, you know I'm Dragonborn, and that I had to kill Alduin, right?" He nodded, for everyone knew that. "And obviously, you know I can Shout." He nodded again. "There's a particular Shout-Dragonrend-that had been lost to time. Basically, I needed an Elder Scroll to go back in time and learn it in order to defeat the dragons."

He laughed. "You're right, that is rather hard to believe. If anyone else had said that to me, I'd have told them to lay off the skooma. Actually, when I tell people about this," he said, gesturing at the strange landscape around them, "they'll probably tell me the same." They had arrived at a stone bridge, which they crossed.

"And here we are again," she said as they approached the lift, traipsing through the shallow stream in front of it. "Right where we started." She looked a little sad for a moment.

"You okay, lass?" He was usually relieved to leave Dwemer ruins, if not outright happy. Not that he spent much time in such places, if he could help it.

"I'm fine," she replied, still looking a bit worried. "It's just...I had a weird moment of paranoia, that's all. We should probably go." She turned toward the lift.

"Paranoia?" he asked, hoping that didn't mean some other mythical beast was about to attack them. He looked around them nervously.

"I...I...I guess I'm a little worried about things. You know." She looked a little embarrassed and awkward.

"Things?" he questioned her, raising an eyebrow. _Surely she wasn't going to try to tell him she was pregnant just a day later, was she?_

"When we get back...are we still...you know...together? I mean I'd like to be, but I understand if you don't want to be tied down..." She looked progressively more uncomfortable with every word, like she was trying to shrink down out of existence.

He smiled with relief, amused at how adorably nervous she was being. "Aye, lass, I think we are." He pulled her close and kissed her tenderly.

She smiled, though her cheeks were still a bit pink. "I don't know how people will react...I suspect Karliah will have a few words for us, at the least." She looked less than happy at the idea.

"She might, but she'll get over it," he comforted her. "Don't worry. The guild's my family, our family, and I know them well. We keep bringing in coin, we're fine."

She nodded, her face unreadable, and they took the lift to the surface.


	12. Chapter 12

_Well, it kinda advances the story. Sorta. It was something that's been rattling around in my head a while, and it seemed to fit here. I hope you guys like it. Thanks for reading!_

...

The sun was just rising as they reached the surface. For now at least the sky was clear, although it was still as cold as ever and the landscape remained covered by snow. As they stepped outside, she took several deep breaths. "Fresh air, finally," she proclaimed with a smile. "Let's go find our horses."

The horses were downhill, more or less where they left them. She noticed a dead wolf not far from where they were grazing. It must have tried its luck with the horses and failed, but they'd still have to look them over for injuries. At least they were still alive-not that she had worried much about Shadowmere, but Brynjolf's horse was probably not as hardy.

After preparing the horses, they set out for Riften. They could easily make it back by that night if they didn't run into many delays. She was a bit wistful, knowing that once they were back, there would be things to do for both of them, and not necessarily together. In their line of work, they couldn't really count on a normal schedule in which they'd see each other every night. She'd do her damnedest to get some time alone with him, though.

The ride was mostly uneventful, and so when they were about halfway back she decided to give the horses a break. She stopped at the southern edge of Eastmarch, having remembered a hot spring in the area that would be perfect for washing the filth off of her. And if they got a little more time together before returning to the demands of the guild, she wasn't about to complain.

"So...is there a reason we're stopping, lass?" he asked her.

"I just wanted to give the horses a break, and I thought I'd clean myself up a little before we get back," she told him. "I can't stand smelling like Falmer, and I love hot springs, so I thought we could spare an hour or so."

"I'm not sure a hot spring will help with the smell, but I'm up for it if you are," he replied with a smirk.

She grinned wickedly and called out "Race you!" as she ran ahead, unbuckling her armor on the way. He was right behind her, but she managed to step into the water a second before he grabbed her by the waist. She stifled a shriek and twisted around to grab his arms, slipping on the wet ground and bringing them both down into the water.

She sat up spluttering and giggling. "Sorry..." she choked out between laughs.

"Incorrigible," he pronounced her with mock seriousness. Then he grinned and splashed her, catching her right in the face. She closed her eyes reflexively, and the next thing she knew his arms were around her and he was chuckling. "Caught you," he said in a low voice by her ear, and she shivered involuntarily.

She leaned into his embrace, purposely brushing her breasts against him. She was satisfied to hear a slight catch in his breath when she did so, and she started kissing and lightly nibbling his neck just below his ear. He slid a hand up her side to cup a breast, using his thumb to tease her nipple. Breathing heavily, she leaned back a moment. His other hand snaked behind her head to pull her in for a kiss.

She slipped one leg over his to straddle him while they kissed. Her breasts were pressed against his bare chest, and she could feel his hard cock pushing against her stomach, hotter than even the water. She raised up on her knees and reached a hand down to guide him inside her as he briefly suckled one of her nipples.

"Wait," he said hoarsely, breathing heavily. "Out of the water." He lifted her with him as he scooted onto the bank behind them. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he moved, then returned to her knees, heedless of the gravel that bit into her skin as she maneuvered his cock into her. She sighed as he filled her, then pulled him close to her for a kiss as she squeezed him inside her. He grunted against her mouth, so she squeezed again a few times.

Suddenly he twisted her around onto her back. "You have no idea..." he mumbled in her ear, continuing to fuck her harder and harder. "Just...how...crazy...you make me." He thrust into her roughly with every word. He was kissing and biting her neck now, just hard enough to hurt in the most wonderful way. The raw fierceness of it nearly made her come then and there. She clung to him, trying not to scratch his back too badly while she matched his rhythm with her hips. With a final thrust he shuddered and came inside her, moaning her name. She held back no longer, aware of nothing but him and herself and ecstasy.

...

Brynjolf hadn't exactly intended to lose control, but the way she teased him with those fluttering little caresses inside her and her _heat_ and how very wet she was made him forget about thinking. The world had shrank down to the two of them, and something primal had overtaken him.

When his mind came back to him, he shifted his weight off her, finally noticing that both of them were scratched up by the rocky ground. He winced again upon seeing that he had left a string of bite marks along her neck. _Oh very smooth, nicely done there, _he thought to himself sarcastically. She looked remarkably blissful, though, and a little...smug? He lightly traced one of the marks with a finger. "Sorry, lass," he told her, a bit embarrassed.

"Don't you _dare_ apologize for that," she told him firmly, sitting up and smiling at him. "I don't break so easily. Dragon, remember?"

"But you are still mortal...right?" He remembered something about Dragonborn being dragons in people's bodies, but had never considered the implications before.

"Of course," she replied with a smile. "At least that's what they tell me, and I'm not about to test it."

He laughed. "That's probably for the best."

She got up and grabbed her armor, looking through the pockets for something. "Now that we've been rolling in the dirt, I guess we really do need to wash up." She dropped her armor and held up a bar of soap triumphantly. "I knew I had some with me somewhere!" She stepped back into the pool and started washing.

He figured he might as well join her, but damned if he was going to smell like a flower. He told her as much and she giggled. "I promise it's just plain soap. No smells. Why would I carry fancy soap around with me anyway? Do people do that?"

Actually, most of the women he'd known had been partial to the "fancy" soap, as she put it, or at least they smelled like it. Certainly he didn't know anyone who carried soap around at all, but if they did, it would've been the smelly kind. He still sniffed the soap suspiciously before using it, causing her to start giggling again. He hadn't seen her this relaxed before and couldn't help smiling back at her.

They finished fairly quickly after that, still wanting to make it to Riften by the end of the day. On the switchbacks climbing up into the mountains, he was very glad they had horses. They reached Shor's Stone at dusk and the stables at Riften before midnight.

After paying the stable boy what looked like a fair bit of gold for taking care of their horses at the late hour, she turned to him and grabbed his hand. "C'mon, I want to give you something," she told him, leading him into the trees. They followed a faint trail to the lake shore and then angled back towards Riften. As she took him out on a little dock and up some stairs, she said simply "My house."

They went inside and as soon as she had dropped her bags, she crossed the room and started rummaging through a drawer. As he looked closer, he realized it was full of keys. "I think this is it," she said, holding up a key next to her house key and squinting. "Try it," she told him as she tossed it to him.

"Works fine," he told her, curious as to why she was doing this right now. He started to toss it back to her, but she stopped him.

"Keep it," she told him. "It opens both doors, if you need in or out of Riften without the whole town knowing. And, you know, if you just want to...visit," she finished awkwardly.

"I'll have to _visit_ you often then," he replied, tucking the key into his pocket. "And thank you, lass."

"Are you going down to the Flagon right away then?" she asked him as she crossed the room back to him.

"Aye, I better make sure they haven't turned the place into a pile of ashes and corpses," he told her. "And you?"

"I should..." she said, checking through the pile of stuff she'd dropped by the door. "Here, take this," she told him, handing him a heavy bag. "That's a lot of the loot there, but I need to dig through this crap to get the rest." She motioned to the pile. "You go on ahead, and I'll bring it down in a little bit."

He followed her to the door, which she opened for him. She kissed him briefly, telling him she'd see him shortly, and ushered him out the door. He was a little confused by her abruptness, but figured she was just tired or had to piss or something. Women could be odd that way. _Nothing compared to Vex's quicksilver mood swings. _He went home.


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N: Please don't hate me, please don't hate me..._

...

As soon as she had shut the door after Brynjolf, she raced downstairs. On their trip, she had just run out of certain herbs that she hadn't expected to need much, if at all. Now that she was home, she wanted to make sure she took some as soon as possible. She quickly created a potion and downed it, then went back upstairs.

It took her most of an hour to sort through her things and find all the places she'd tucked things away. She seemed to have put something in every one of her pockets, to her annoyance. _Well, it was convenient at the time._ Finally, she was ready to go.

She made her way across Riften quickly, eager to find out how much their trip had netted. She slipped through the graveyard quietly, wincing at the noise the door made when she pushed the little button. Sometimes she wondered why they bothered with all the secrecy, given that half of Riften could hear every time they opened it, but she supposed it was appropriate to at least _pretend_ it was a secret. Still, she wouldn't mind finding a way to quiet the grinding down a bit.

As she dropped into the cistern, she almost ran right into Rune, who was on his way out. "Welcome back," he greeted her, and she nodded and smiled to him on her way past. The room was fairly quiet, and the few who were there were asleep, so she went straight through to the Flagon.

She spotted Delvin immediately in the crowded room, seated in his usual spot by the back door. Vekel was behind the bar, unsurprisingly, and she thought she spotted Vex's pale hair on the other side of the room. She couldn't find Brynjolf, though, so she sat down with Delvin.

"Hey, how are things?" she asked him.

"Everything's fine, boss," he told her, looking up from his drink. He raised an eyebrow for an instant, then started grinning like an idiot. She was instantly a bit suspicious, since he'd never been this happy to see her before. He continued speaking. "Brynjolf came by already, all smiles. You guys must've found some valuable things." The way he stressed the last few words made it clear that he knew more than he was saying.

"Did he say something?" she asked suspiciously. "Uh, I mean, do you know where he went?" she amended quickly. He was still grinning at her strangely.

"I think he went to sell some things to Tonilia," he said. "In the back, away from the eyes of this lot." He tilted his head toward the crowd at the bar.

"I just came from back there though..." she said, confused.

"Check the practice room," he suggested. She nodded and got up to leave when he stopped her. "Oh, and one other thing..." he called after her, beckoning her back. She turned to see what he had to say. "You might want to get a scarf!" he advised her, laughing.

She gaped at him for a second, and then realized what he meant. _Shit._ On her way to the practice room she hastily pulled her hair down loose, trying to cover her neck with it while wishing she'd thought to wear a hood or mask. _This can't be anything less than awkward._ Maybe she should just wait until Tonilia was gone. Then she scolded herself for being such a coward. _You lead this guild. You can go where you want._ Still, she made a mental note to keep that side of her body facing away from her.

She walked into the room and stopped dead. Tonilia was running her hands on Brynjolf's chest as she said something quietly to him. He was looking down at her with that damned caring, worried look that the Dragonborn had thought was reserved for her. She must've made a noise, because they both turned and looked at her. Brynjolf started to push Tonilia away, but the Dragonborn had already dropped her things and ran. She had to get as far away as possible.

Not for the first time, she was glad of her Nightingale ability to become invisible, although she was conflicted about using it to avoid her comrade. She was out of the cistern and running silently across Riften before she knew it. She stopped at her house to quickly grab a few things and exited the other side, hurrying to the stables to get Shadowmere. She left a little stack of coins for Shadr and swung onto her mount, muttering an apology to the horse for making him carry her away again so soon. She rode to the west, planning on taking the pass rather than covering the same ground they'd covered together earlier.

She was in the mountains before she realized she was crying. She should have known better. She _did _know better. And she should have reacted better. There was no way she would go crawling back, though. Better just to avoid Riften. For now, she'd head to Whiterun, and from there...she wasn't sure.

...

Brynjolf had checked in with Delvin when he arrived, although he could already tell that everything was more or less in its place. He went to Tonilia next to sell off some of what they'd found, and they both agreed it would be better done without an audience. The practice room was the logical place, since they wouldn't bother anyone who was sleeping. It made sense at the time.

They had set to bartering immediately, and he had thought it was going rather well. She gave him decent prices and had even run out of coin, and he still had plenty more to sell.

He was about to go back out to the Flagon when Tonilia had asked to talk to him about something else. She had started out innocently enough, mentioning that he had been missed but that things had stayed orderly. She had gone on to say that _she_ had missed him, and then she was offering to leave Vekel for him, and standing far too close to him.

He had responded by reminding her of what he had already told her, that he didn't want to start a fight with Vekel and tear apart the guild, that they had had fun but it couldn't work. She had tried to get him to reconsider, tried to seduce him physically, and of course that was when the Dragonborn had walked in.

He'd pushed Tonilia away and ran after her, but she was already gone. The woman could vanish into the shadows better than anyone he'd known, and he knew if she didn't want to be found she wouldn't be. He cursed his luck, and a tiny corner of his mind wondered if maybe Nocturnal wasn't a bit displeased with them. He dismissed the thought almost immediately, still finding the idea of luck and daedric influence to be a bit strange. It wouldn't matter anyway, if he could just find her and explain.

He decided to check her house, hoping she wouldn't just run him through before he could say anything. He knocked, then remembered the key she'd given him and entered the house. It was how he remembered it, although the pile from earlier was gone. He called out her name a few times with no response, then decided to search the house top to bottom, just in case.

There was no sign of her anywhere in the house, so either she was deliberately and carefully hiding or she wasn't here. Since her travel gear was gone, she had probably left Riften. He remembered to check the dock outside, just in case, but she wasn't there. On his way back to the guild he looked around, even walking through the Bee and Barb, but she was nowhere to be found. In the cistern he picked up what she had dropped and put it by the desk, planning on putting it in the vault for her later.

He was glad to see no sign of Tonilia, in the cistern or the Flagon. Vekel was still there of course, and treated him the same as ever when he ordered a drink, so she must not have said anything to him. He sat down across from Delvin with a sigh.

"What's wrong, Bryn?" Delvin asked him. "You look like you got punched in the nuts. Honeymoon over so soon?"

He snorted and took a long drink of mead. "I fucked up. I have to find her."

"Slow down and tell me what happened. Who do you need to find? The boss? She was just in here, maybe an hour ago at the most." Delvin looked at him curiously, but didn't seem overly concerned.

He glanced around surreptitiously at the people nearby, then leaned slightly closer and said, "She walked in on me when Tonilia was trying something. She was gone before I could say a word, and I think she left Riften, too."

Delvin let out a low whistle. "You stepped in it this time, didn't you. What's your plan?"

"Plan?" he scoffed. "I don't even know where to start. If she doesn't want to be found, she won't be."

"Now, I don't want to tell you what to do, but I sure hope you can at least get her to come back to the guild. As for where she is, let me see what I can find out from my contacts." He stood and melted into the crowd, leaving Brynjolf alone with his mead.


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing! I'm trying to write as much as I can as fast as I can without losing quality. I've usually focused on technical writing, so creative writing can be a bit of a challenge for me. After being trained to write things in as few words as possible, I've had to work to be wordy, so that's why my chapters can be a bit short. I'm trying, though!_

...

The Dragonborn stomped into her house in Whiterun, causing Lydia to come running. "My thane?" Her housecarl looked at her with concern. "What's happened?"

"Nothing important, Lydia. Just a little mistake I made," she told her, rummaging through a chest. "Really, don't worry about it." She forced herself to smile, and her housecarl went back into her room.

She dropped the smile and pulled out the old shrouded armor she had found in a hagraven nest. She quickly changed and rushed back out, more quietly this time. She had responsibilities to satisfy in Dawnstar, and what better place to hide out for a while than the Sanctuary? Sometimes the unquestioning obedience of her subordinates could be convenient, even if it drove her crazy the rest of the time.

When she reached Dawnstar she used the secret entrance, glad that the Khajiit weren't camped by it for once. She had left Shadowmere in the yard by the inn, since there were no stables in the little town. Ever since she'd fixed the town's nightmares, the residents were more than happy to accommodate her however they could.

As she entered, she spotted Nazir almost immediately. He was talking to a pair of recruits she had seen before. She raised a hand in greeting as she passed, and he nodded back to her. She continued up the stairs to the Night Mother, grabbing a roll of paper and a bit of charcoal from a desk on her way.

She had a long list of contracts after her absence, so she went back down to talk to Nazir. He doled out jobs and took care of other such boring logistics for her. Afterwards she went to her bedroom and collapsed on the bed, barely managing to remove her boots and mask before falling asleep.

Her dreams were strange and troubling. She kept dreaming of falling, falling towards a still, deep expanse of water. Right before she hit, the water would begin to roil and she would wake up. After waking a few times, she grabbed the first bottle of wine she could find and started heading back to bed, then she turned back and grabbed a couple more.

She drank until she could fall asleep again. This time her dreams didn't wake her, although she was restless. She slept as long as she could, until she found herself awake, laying in her bed and staring at the wall. Her head ached and her eyes felt like sandpaper, and she felt as if her guts had been torn out through her chest. She grabbed the last of the wine from the night before and downed it, but it did little to help.

She wasn't sure where she had left her things, or if she'd even brought much of anything in her blind emotional flight across Skyrim. Her luck must have been with her, because she suspected that a dragon could have swooped down and grabbed her and she wouldn't have noticed until she was flying. _Exactly the sort of stupid thing I was worried about doing._ She was sure she could get something for this headache from Babette, though.

She found the little vampire in her usual spot not far from the alchemy nook. She took one look at the Listener and handed her a potion. "I'm not sure if I should ask," the girl said. "That should make you feel better, though."

"Thanks," she told her, then downed the potion. "Damn men. Damn lying, cheating, thieving bastards." The girl gave her a sympathetic nod, and she returned the vial and went back to her bedroom. She put the rest of her armor on and headed to the training area, where she grabbed a pair of daggers and proceeded to hack a straw dummy to bits.

When the dummy fell off its post, she realized she had an audience. Nazir was watching her, several recruits arrayed behind him. "Listener," he greeted her, looking at the dummy. He raised his eyebrows at her, but she shook her head. She smiled and said hello, and left as soon as she could. She still didn't feel like talking, although whatever Babette had given her had made her feel a bit numb. Her stomach grumbled, and she realized she couldn't remember the last time she'd had a warm meal.

She took her food back to her room, and continued to avoid conversation as much as possible for the next few days. On occasion the Night Mother would speak to her, but other than that her time was her own. She spent much of her time in her room sleeping. When she came out, it was for necessities like food and drink or to attack another hapless straw dummy. Nazir and Babette were both a bit worried, she could tell, but neither tried to pry too deeply. The recruits, at least, seemed all the more in awe of her for her reticence.

...

Brynjolf drank himself into a stupor the night she left. The next morning he'd woken up with a terrible hangover and an empty bed. He'd been dreaming of her curled up at his side, and waking up alone and remembering what had happened made a wave of nausea wash over him. The Dragonborn was furious with him, Tonilia was probably angry as well, and who knows who else had heard what version of the events.

He sat on the edge of his bed, head in his hands. He'd slept in his armor head to toe, the same armor that he had worn through Blackreach, but he barely even registered it. With a sigh, he headed to the Flagon to find Delvin. He remembered talking to him about it, so maybe he had news.

Vex was talking to Delvin at his usual table, but when she saw him coming she frowned and walked away. He sat down across from Delvin and grunted a hello. "What's pissed off Vex this morning?"

"Nothing new," he replied. "Just that grabby ass from last night. He won't be showing his face around here anytime soon after that beating she gave him, though."

He must've been even drunker than he thought, because he had no memory of a fight. At least it hadn't involved him, so that was one less thing to worry about. "Anything else I should hear about?"

Delvin surreptitiously checked for ears around them and scooted closer. "The boss has definitely left town, on her horse," he said in a low voice. "And Tonilia hasn't been seen since last night, either. Vekel thought she ran off with you until he found out you were passed out back there, and now he's not sure what to think, as far as I can tell."

None of that was good news. He hadn't realized that Tonilia had left, and he had been hoping that Vekel hadn't heard the gossip. He already knew the Dragonborn had left, but confirmation wasn't pleasant to hear either. Hopefully Tonilia hadn't decided to follow her or do anything stupid. She had a bit of a crazy edge to her that she usually buried behind her cold merchant's demeanor. He had realized this when she continued to try to seduce him while simultaneously convincing Vekel that she loved him and would marry him someday, showing not a shred of guilt through the whole thing. Deception was common enough among his associates, for obvious reasons, but there was still a loose code of honor. Lying about where one was thieving or how much one stole was one thing, but her toying with both men in such a manner was pushing the boundaries.

He realized he had been staring at the table and Delvin was calling his name. He looked up at him, blinking. "I'll let you know when I hear more, okay Bryn?"

He nodded and got up. He had work to do, all the more for his having been absent a while. He put their loot in the vault for the time being, not feeling up to haggling with the other merchants. It was easy enough for him to absorb himself in guild business.

He soon heard through gossip that Tonilia had sent a note to Vekel saying she had urgent business on the other side of Skyrim and that she'd had to leave right away to secure an amazing deal. Supposedly she'd be back within the next week or two. He found the timing to be a bit odd, but no one else seemed to question it. He didn't want to draw attention to himself by talking about it, so he stayed mostly silent on the subject. As far as he knew, only he and Delvin were aware of what had really transpired. Conveniently, their guildmaster was often out traveling, so no one was concerned over her whereabouts-yet.

One evening, Delvin finally had some information for him. "There's good news and bad news," he said quietly. "I've found her, but you'll never be able to reach her unless she wants you to."

Brynjolf thought that was a little ridiculous. "Now, I know you like to give me shit ever since you made me step in that trap, but you know I can get in anywhere. Where is she?"

Delvin frowned. "You stepped in that yourself! I didn't _make _you do anything." He lowered his voice again. "And no, you can't get in anywhere, because she's back with the Brotherhood."

Okay, maybe he couldn't. "Anything else? Is she...okay?"

Delvin looked faintly amused for a second, but quickly regained his serious mien. "My contact hasn't seen her much, but he didn't mention any serious injury or anything like that."

"So could your contact give her a message? If I gave you one?" He was trying not to sound desperate. He told himself firmly that it wasn't just for him, that he was doing it for the guild. He would be a horrible leader, and besides, he didn't want that kind of prominence. Appropriately, he'd much rather direct things from the shadows, if he was going to at all.

"Maybe a written one..." he replied doubtfully. "Better make it short, one page."

He nodded and went to find some writing materials. Sitting at the desk in the cistern, he stared at the blank page, quill in hand. _I'm sorry? No, that would imply that I actually did something. _After a few moments of inner debate, he scribbled the note quickly. _Things were not what they seemed. What you saw was not what it looked like. I have no interest in her. Please come home. We need you._ He paused for a moment, suddenly a bit uncertain again. _I love you. Yours, B._

He quickly sealed the note before he could change his mind, and carried it to Delvin. He took it with a nod, tucking it away with barely a glance. He wasn't fooled, though. He knew the old man would likely read it before passing it to his contact, sealed or not, and he'd be hearing jokes about it for a while. But he would've found something to bug him with anyway, so it hardly mattered.


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N: Thank you everyone for the reading and reviewing and favoriting! You're awesome!_

...

Nazir approached her one day while she was making herself dinner. "Listener, there's something I think you'll want to hear. One of the recruits was on a contract where your name came up."

"Really? Well, I suppose it had to happen sooner or later," she mused, frowning. "Send him to me." She took her bowl of stew and a chunk of bread and sat at a nearby table, eating unconcernedly.

A few moments later, a nervous young man approached her. "L-listener? You wanted to s-see me?"

She looked up from her meal. "Are you the one who was given my name?"

"Y-yes, Listener," he replied, practically vibrating with fear.

She smiled at him, trying to get him to relax enough to tell her something useful. "Sit down, please, and tell me all about it."

"Oh-okay," he stammered, and sat down across from her. As she'd predicted, his anxiety seemed to calm a bit once he sat. "I was meeting my contact at the inn like I was told to. She came up to me, actually, as soon as I walked in the door. Anyway, she took me back to her room, refused to say anything until we were back there. She showed me the gold, then told me your name, and said there'd be twice that much again if I also took out this other guy down in Riften." He was starting to get more confident now, no longer stuttering and avoiding her eyes.

"Wait-who was this woman? And what other guy? Tell me everything." She had her suspicions about this mysterious contact.

"She was the merchant I had to meet at the inn in Windhelm. Small Redguard woman, kept her hood on. The other one she wanted dead was some barkeep. Once she said your name, I quit paying attention."

The recruit had confirmed her suspicions. Tonilia wanted her and Vekel out of the way. _She must be desperate if she's trying to kill us._ But was she really doing all this over jealousy? What kind of game was she playing? "Did anything else happen?"

"Well, I sent her to Sithis, of course." He looked quite proud of himself.

She raised her eyebrows before she could help herself. "You killed her?"

"Of course. I certainly wasn't going to kill _you_," the young man replied with a laugh.

_Well, not much I can do about that._ "Thank you," she told him with a fake smile. She got up and went to her bedroom to think. She had never wanted Tonilia dead, never even really wished her ill. Nonetheless she couldn't help but be relieved, although it was tinged with guilt. She couldn't blame him for following procedure, though. The Brotherhood protected its own. She should be glad that he saved her the trouble of dealing with it herself. Hopefully it was just a foolish act of jealousy, and not part of a larger problem. _You shouldn't care about the guild anymore,_ she reminded herself.

She sat down at her desk to go through her paperwork. She glanced over the budget, finding nothing amiss. Most of the correspondence was related to debts or payments, and she found it hard not to fall asleep. And then, on the very bottom of the pile, she found the note from Brynjolf. She nearly ripped it apart, but stopped. As furious as she was with him, she was also sentimental, and she wanted to believe him. Her cynical side said he saw her as his backup plan, or worse yet, wanted to get back at her for Tonilia. Maybe they had been working together towards some other end. She couldn't really believe it, though, not after their time together.

She read the letter again. She wanted more than anything to believe what he'd written. There was absolutely no way that she'd go crawling back, though. She would have him come to her. If he meant it, he'd come to Dawnstar for her. If he wanted to kill her, then he'd soon find himself surrounded by angry assassins. It would be easy enough to fill the dinner crowd at the inn with her people.

She penned a letter in reply, leaving it unsigned. _Meet me at the Windpeak Inn in Dawnstar if you want to talk._ She had one of the more experienced recruits take it to Riften, with instructions to find him at the Flagon and return immediately after delivery. She also posted lookouts at the main road into town and inside the inn. If he showed up, she would know.

...

As usual, Brynjolf was drinking with Delvin on the evening the courier walked in. He didn't notice the lithe figure in black and red until he was standing right next to their table. "You Brynjolf?" he asked, looking him over.

"Aye, that's me," he replied. The courier handed him an envelope and left, quickly disappearing into the evening crowd before he could say a word. He turned back to Delvin, who was looking at him wide-eyed and curious.

"You better open that now," he advised him. "Unless I miss my guess..."

He broke the wax on the little note and opened it. A second later he was getting up and telling Delvin he needed to go to Dawnstar immediately.

"Woah, wait a minute, Bryn. Dawnstar? You'll get yourself killed. You don't want to fuck around with these people. Don't be stupid!" Delvin scolded him.

"And what would you do?" he demanded in return.

"I wouldn't have fallen in love, for one," Delvin retorted, smirking at his discomfort. He opened his mouth to protest, but Delvin cut him off. "But I suppose there's no stopping you. Just be careful."

"For the record, I'm not _in love_. We just need our guildmaster back," he insisted stubbornly. Delvin just smiled and shook his head. He sighed and went back to the cistern to gather his things and leave.

On his way out, Sapphire nearly knocked him down, then hurried towards the Flagon without so much as a glance at him. _She must really need a drink._ Sometimes he wondered if Vex was teaching her to be moody along with the lockpicking. It really wouldn't surprise him.

His horse was glad to be on the road again, and he was enjoying it himself. Fresh air was always nice after his long hours in the sewer. And with a little luck, by this time tomorrow everything would be set to rights.

He didn't reach Dawnstar until around midday. The town certainly hadn't grown any in the years since he'd last visited it. The inn was easy to find, especially since it was the only inn. An old woman was sitting outside munching loudly on a loaf of bread, and she stared at him as he walked by. When he entered the inn, he ordered a drink and grabbed a seat in the corner facing the door.

Over the next hour, the inn steadily filled with people. He had just about decided that the whole town was in for lunch when he realized that an awful lot of the people in the room moved in a familiarly smooth and quiet manner. He hadn't spent so much time recruiting thieves without being able to recognize when someone was used to moving undetected. He was sidling towards the door when a little girl stopped him.

"Are you waiting for somebody?" she asked, smiling in an oddly knowing way.

"Aye, lass," he answered. "You shouldn't talk to strangers, though."

For some reason the little girl seemed to find that hilarious. "She'll be here soon, don't worry." She rushed back to her family's table and rejoined their conversation, leaving Brynjolf slightly confused and standing awkwardly by the door.

He was still deciding whether or not to leave when the door opened, and she was standing in front of him. She looked as beautiful as ever, her figure enhanced by the black and red armor she wore. Her face was carefully neutral, but her eyes looked older. He felt a pang of guilt, thinking himself the cause. They stood and stared at each other, neither wanting to be the first to speak.


	16. Chapter 16

_A/N: So I think I should've split this into more than one story or something. The title isn't really relevant anymore. I've been writing for fun and not really planning much (obviously). Beginning to think I've jumped the shark, too. But it might just be me being my usual self-loathing ball of paranoia. Thanks for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and all that. Love you guys!_

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><p>She hadn't expected to find Brynjolf standing just inside the door. Keeping her expression neutral was difficult. Seeing him brought up all sorts of confusing emotions that would be better off hidden. "Hi," she said. <em>So very eloquent, <em>she thought to herself scornfully. "We should probably sit down..."

"I think I'll stand, thank you," he said stiffly, pointedly glancing around the room. "I seem to have an itchy back."

_Of course he'd pick them out. I should've realized. Stupid, stupid mistake. When did I get so dumb?_ "What did you expect, after what _she_ did?" she asked him angrily. "That I should just come in here all on my own? When you might've been in on it, or just here for vengeance?" Her voice started to crack and wobble during the last sentence, and she had to swallow hard to keep her emotions under control. It was vital she watch his reactions for any hint of deception.

He looked confused, more than anything. "Vengeance? In on what, Tonilia hitting on me again? That's all that was going on, you know. I've told her no, but she's so damn stubborn." His frustration seemed genuine to her. "What do you mean, vengeance?" He was suspicious now, and was becoming harder for her to read, but she still didn't see anything to indicate he knew more than he was saying.

"You really don't know what she did, then?" she queried, still watching him.

"I know she was all over me, but I didn't want her to be," he said in a low voice. "Was there something else?" He still looked honestly confused, so she signaled to Babette and her people started filing out of the building.

"Yes, there was definitely something more than that," she told him flatly. "Can we sit down and talk now?" He nodded, and they took a seat at a nearby table, far from any prying ears.

He looked at her expectantly as she tried to figure out where to start. "There's no nice way to say this, so I'll just say it. She tried to hire the Brotherhood to get rid of both me and Vekel." He was definitely surprised by the news, which was a relief to her.

"That's insane," he said angrily. Then he lowered his voice. "Do you have any proof? I believe you, lass, but we need proof, or else it's just your word against hers."

She frowned, realizing she had yet to break the rest of the news to him. "Actually, that won't be a problem..."

"So you have proof then, good. Let's-"

"No, I don't," she interrupted him. "Look at it this way: what does the guild do when someone crosses us? We take it back from them in gold, right?" He nodded, still looking a bit confused but growing more concerned. "Well, assassins watch out for their own, too, especially their leader." She watched as comprehension dawned on his face.

"Is she...?"

"Yes, she's dead." He frowned at that, so she elaborated. "I didn't order it or anything, not specifically. Obviously, we don't take contracts on our own people, but there are certain...technical...considerations when the Night Mother and Sithis have been invoked, and logically...usually, it really is the best option." She was relieved when he nodded slowly, although he was still frowning. "I-I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "No, it's okay, I just wish we had some sort of proof."

"I'm also sorry I ran away without giving you a chance to explain," she said before she could stop herself. "I don't really...trust much, not anymore. But...I do trust you more than anyone else."

"I understand," he told her, reaching out to stroke her cheek gently. He was still frowning, but she didn't think it was directed at her so much as the situation. She scooted over to rest her head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. Tilting her face up at him, she whispered, "I love you too," and he kissed her.

...

Brynjolf didn't want to believe that another betrayal would hit them so soon after Mercer's, but he supposed there was never a _good _time for these things. He wasn't sure what Tonilia's plan had been, and he couldn't help but wonder if she was planning on eventually discarding him, as well. Not that it mattered much now. His feelings on her death were mixed; mostly he was glad that she wouldn't be causing problems for him any longer, but a little part of him would miss her. More than anything, he was angry and disgusted that she would dare try to have her guildmates killed.

This was one story he wasn't looking forward to sharing with the guild. He definitely wasn't going to share the personal aspects. If he could pull it off, Vekel need never know he ever did anything inappropriate with Tonilia. And maybe he could even avoid much interest in his current...whatever-it-was. _Relationship._ He really ought to quit dodging that in his mind. She loved him. And he...he was hooked. Bloody old Delvin had been right, the bastard; he was in love. It had been a long time since he'd cared so much for a woman, and that was how he liked it, but she'd slipped around his guard somehow.

He didn't want to stop kissing her, but they were still in the common room of the inn. "Are you going to come back to Riften with me?" he asked her, squeezing her hand. "Or do I have to throw you over my shoulder and carry you back?"

"I'll come willingly," she said, smirking mischievously. "Although it _is_ tempting to make you carry me back."

He slipped his hands around her waist, pulling her onto his lap. "Maybe I should just keep you here," he whispered in her ear. "That way no one else can see how hard you make me."

"Tease," she whispered back, burying her face in his neck. Her breath on his neck sent a tingle down his spine, and he mentally cursed their surroundings again. She sighed, making him shiver. "I better go take care of a few things before I leave. I'll be back soon, I promise." She gave him a lingering kiss, looking into his eyes searchingly before she turned and left.

He'd barely had time to finish a tankard of mead before she was back, smiling. "So...how's this for proof?" She dropped a familiar ring and a folded piece of paper with a bloody fingerprint into his hand. The ring was definitely Tonilia's; he remembered when Vekel had given it to her and proposed for the umpteenth time. He opened the paper and read it, frowning when he saw the names and directions, including a small but detailed map of the Flagon and the cistern.

"That bitch!" he exclaimed. "Where did you get this?"

"The recruit that met with her," she replied quietly. "A lot of people take trophies, you know; luckily the kid did just that. He was proud of himself for stopping the plot against the Listener, had to show his friends." She smiled again indulgently, absurdly reminding him of a mother cat who keeps purring when her kittens are climbing all over her.

"Listener?" he queried curiously before he could help himself. "Never mind, I probably shouldn't ask." He really didn't want to know too much about the group of assassins. Such knowledge was dangerous and had little reward.

"I may explain...later. We should get going now, though." She grabbed his hand and pulled him off the bench. "I have to make a quick stop in Whiterun on the way, then we'll go straight on to Riften." He followed her out the door into the overcast afternoon.

In Whiterun, she switched her armor again. He felt a little surge of happiness at seeing her back in guild leathers matching his own. "Too bad we're in such a hurry," he mused, making eye contact with her. "We'll have to make it up when we get home. I missed you." He ran a hand along her side, lingering by her breast. She blushed lightly, and he smirked at her, pulling her closer for a kiss. "Later, lass," he told her huskily, although he meant it for himself, as well.

They left Whiterun and managed to reach Riften in the morning. They were both exhausted, but focused on bringing the news to the guild at once. He went down the ladder first and watched her come down after him, especially her cute little ass and those long legs he wanted wrapped around him again...but he could think about that later. She hopped down beside him and they turned to enter the cistern.

A very angry looking Vex greeted them, dagger in hand. Delvin was next to her, and behind them he could see the rest of the guild, all looking ready to fight. Apparently, they had already heard about Tonilia.


	17. Chapter 17

_A/N: Thanks again! I hope you find certain parts of this funny. If no one catches the particular obvious joke I'm thinking of then I'm gonna have to cry._

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><p>Coming back to find the entire guild ready to kill them wasn't a terrible surprise to her. It was Mercer all over again. She had survived that, and she would survive this, too.<p>

"Get away from that murderer, Brynjolf!" Vex snapped at him.

"I did warn you, Bryn," Delvin said, shaking his head. "She had Tonilia killed!"

"No, you don't understand," Brynjolf protested. "You have it backwards."

"Tonilia is dead, and _she _is right there, alive!" Vex said. "Quit thinking with your cock, s'wit!"

"Stop it! Tonilia is dead because she tried to have me killed!" The Dragonborn had had enough of everyone bickering over her without getting to speak. "She tried to hire one of my own people to kill me, and Vekel too. Show them the note." Brynjolf already had it in his hand, and passed it to Vex, who sheathed her weapon to read it. "We protect our own, too. She was dead before I even knew anything was going on."

Delvin was trying to read the note over Vex's shoulder, to her obvious annoyance. She finally shoved it in his face, having finished reading it, and he grabbed it. "It sure looks like her writing," she said, shaking her head.

"Yeah, it does," agreed Delvin. "Vekel should see this."

They started to follow him out, but Vex stopped them. "You two should probably wait. He's pretty pissed off, and I don't think he'll be as reasonable as we were if you go in there." She turned and followed Delvin out.

"Well, that could have gone better," Brynjolf turned and said to her.

"It could've been worse, too," she countered. "But yeah, not what I was hoping for." She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "I think they know about this, though, or they do now that Vex screamed it from the rooftops." She couldn't help but let out a little giggle.

He pulled her close to him, and she felt herself blush. "May as well make it clear and avoid the bizarre rumors they'd come up with," he told her, and he kissed her deeply. She was definitely blushing now, she could tell. When the kiss ended she hid her face against him, suddenly feeling shy about having half the guild watching them. They weren't openly gawking, but she knew damn well they were watching all the same.

She felt Brynjolf chuckle and ventured a glance at him, finding him watching her with a smile. "I don't think I've ever seen someone try to hide themselves like that before."

"I'm not hiding. I'm just...cold," she said defensively.

"That must be why your cheeks are so pink," he replied, still smiling at her as he squeezed her. She closed her eyes and leaned on him, her exhaustion catching up with her. _So...comfy..._

She almost fell asleep like that, standing up and leaning on him, but Sapphire's voice woke her up. "You guys can go in there now." She had stalked off before she even opened her eyes.

Yawning, she pulled back from Brynjolf. "I could use a drink anyway. It's been a long...day? Week?"

...

Walking into the Flagon was more awkward than it had been since Brynjolf had first walked in as a kid. He put on his most neutral face as they went to talk to Vekel and give him the ring.

"We thought you might want this back," he told him as he dropped it into his hand.

Vekel looked closely at the ring, frowning, then shoved it in his pocket. "Thanks," he said stiffly.

"I'm sorry," the Dragonborn told him, looking contrite.

"Don't be," he replied, stone-faced. "And I'm done talking about it. Now, can I get you a drink?"

They sat down with Delvin to catch up on whatever guild business he'd missed over the past couple days. Most of it was the same as ever, but a few were overdue, almost all right there in Riften. Hopefully they weren't all floating in the canal. They also had to look into finding a new fence, but that shouldn't be too hard.

The Dragonborn looked like she was going to fall asleep in her mead. "You can go sleep if you want, you know. You look like you need it."

"Is it that obvious? Don't answer that. I guess a nap wouldn't hurt...just don't let me sleep all day, okay?" She got up and walked back to the cistern.

"So..." Delvin said after she'd left. "Well?"

"Well what?" he replied, raising an eyebrow.

"You know well what," Delvin shot back.

"I don't know...what?" Brynjolf said innocently.

"Well, how is she?" he exclaimed, a bit louder than he intended. A few people turned to look, and Brynjolf didn't have to turn his head to know that Vex was probably rolling her eyes from where she was sitting behind them.

"She's fine, maybe a bit tired," he told Delvin, and was rewarded with a momentary look of utter confusion.

"No, I meant-you know what I meant! Out with it!" Delvin was getting impatient with him now.

"Ooooohh, you meant _that._ She's quite fine in that area, as well." He smiled what he hoped was an enigmatic smile. _Don't think about it. Don't get a boner talking to Delvin. You'll never hear the end of it._

"And?" Delvin prompted him with a smirk.

"And I have important things to do. Maybe we'll speak another time." He stood up to leave and heard Delvin snort and mutter something behind him, but he chose to ignore him and headed back to the cistern. He really didn't have much of anything to do, and he knew Delvin knew it, too, but he didn't care right now.

He wandered around a while, making himself look busy so no one would bother him. He wasn't really in the mood to chat, and he definitely didn't feel like talking about anything important. Regardless of his outward nonchalance, he was still a bit unsettled over the recent events. He couldn't figure out Tonilia's motivation. He wasn't so egotistical as to believe she'd actually kill people just to get with him, but she'd never even shown much interest in officially joining the guild before, much less violently overthrowing it. Something was missing.

Asking Vekel anything was out of the question for the time being, that was clear. There might be a clue in the room they had shared, though. Getting in and searching would be easy enough, although he wouldn't mind a lookout. _Even I couldn't talk my way out of being caught rummaging through Vekel's bedroom._

He ended up waiting until he woke the Dragonborn. He had reached out a hand to wake her when her eyes opened, leaving him leaning over her awkwardly with his hand closer to her breast than her shoulder. He snatched it back and sat on the edge of the bed to tell her what he'd been thinking.

"Well, you'd know her better than I would," she said quietly, and he mentally cringed. "I'll make sure he doesn't go back there while you see what you can find." He kissed her quickly and stood so she could get out of the bed.

Once inside the room he moved quickly, digging through the chest at the foot of Tonilia's bed. He found a little stack of what looked like business correspondence that he took just in case. The dresser held nothing but clothes, and he was about to leave when he noticed one of the stones by the bed looked loose. He wiggled it out and looked in the hole left behind, but he couldn't see all the way to the back. Sticking his hand into a dark hole wasn't something he wanted to do, but it couldn't be helped, so he did it before he could think any more about it. He was rewarded with a note and a gold chain with a key and locket. Nothing else was inside, so he put the stone back and hurried out of the bedroom.

She was waiting for him at a table right outside the hall. He nodded to her and she joined him, and without speaking they walked out together into the Ratway.

"Find anything?" she asked him after a few moments.

"Maybe, maybe not," he told her. "I didn't want to look yet, not with everyone around."

"We could always go back to my place," she suggested with a wicked grin.

"Aye, we could." He was a man, after all, and it had been a while since they'd had any..._quality_ time together. Plus it would be far from any prying eyes and ears, so it wasn't like he had entirely taken leave of his senses. He followed her out.


	18. Chapter 18

_A/N: Still been sick off and on. Having trouble writing when I'm so dizzy, so thanks for reading, reviewing, etc. I'm not really satisfied with this chapter but not sure what's bugging me about it. I also wanted to respond to a very thoughtful review I received. I purposely have left my character vague. I wasn't going to, but I was thinking about what I wanted to try in a fanfic and came to the conclusion that people were less interested in my character than they are in the characters that drew them to the series in the first place. I thought I'd try keeping her fairly neutral to allow people to kind of be the character, if they wanted to immerse themselves in the story. Is that experiment a failure then? Should I stick to normal character development in the future?_

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><p>She cleared the kitchen table and he laid out what he had found. "This is what she had hidden," he told her, showing her a folded paper and a locket with a key. "The other papers were just in her chest."<p>

The paper seemed to be a gridded map, but she didn't recognize the location. It showed a mountain near a river, with an X right between the two. The grid was marked with letters on top and numbers down the side. "That could be anywhere," she grumbled, shaking her head. "Anything on the key, or in that locket?"

"Just a miniature in the locket, nothing special about the key." He passed it to her and she opened it, curious. The portrait was of a young Redguard man she didn't recognize.

"Do you recognize him?"

"No, do you?"

She shook her head. "Maybe her family? Did she ever say anything about them?"

"Nothing I've heard." For obvious reasons, inquiring too much into someone's past around the guild was considered rude at the least, as well as suspicious. "There's still these to go through, though." He tapped the other pile of papers with a finger and slid them to the middle of the table.

Most of the papers were just business, to or from merchants they already knew she dealt with regularly. Those they put aside to be returned. A few were ambiguous, signed with a single letter or initials. The last paper was the strangest by far; it was merely strings of numbers with seemingly no organization. It didn't seem to be a ledger or scratch paper. In fact, it was structured more like a letter than anything numerical.

"What do you think of this?" she asked him, indicating the odd note.

"Not sure. Code maybe?" he suggested.

If it was in code or cipher-and it had to be-she wasn't sure when or if they'd be able to decode it. The only code-breakers she could think of would be with the Legion, and she wasn't too excited about showing her face around there again if she could avoid it. The whole Gourmet debacle had no doubt made its way to the general's ears long ago, and she didn't want to face him. Maybe Enthir knew something of code-breaking. How different could it be from translating?

That settled it. She would have to go back up to Winterhold and see if he could help her out. If he couldn't, then she'd at least look around the Arcaneum and see if she could find any books on the subject and give it a try herself.

"I know that look, lass-what are you planning?" She'd almost forgotten Brynjolf for a second while lost in her thoughts.

"Just that someone must know how to read this," she said, pointing at the paper covered in numbers. "I'm thinking of going to Winterhold and asking Enthir, and maybe looking around their library if need be."

"So we're still not talking to anyone around here about it then," he stated, looking at her expectantly.

"No, not yet, not until we know more," she agreed.

"I only mentioned it because I think Rune has studied codes and that sort of thing, trying to figure out that symbol he was found with as a lad," he reminded her.

"Hmm..." She had forgotten about that, actually. "Maybe if I can't find anything in Winterhold, I'll ask him. For now, though, I want to keep it quiet."

"Aye. I'll have to stay here though, we've been gone too much recently."

"Well, I don't have to leave immediately..." she told him, smiling and standing up to walk over to him. "It can wait 'til tomorrow morning."

...

Brynjolf stood up after her, but she pushed him back down into his chair. "_You_ are going _nowhere_ today. I have plans for you." She sat on his lap, straddling him playfully with a mischievous look in her eye.

"Do you now?" he asked her, and by way of response she leaned over and kissed him. While they were occupied, he quickly went to work loosening her armor enough for him to slip a hand in and pinch her nipple. She gasped and squirmed against him, giving him an opening to stand up with her in his arms. He carried her over to the bed with her legs wrapped around his waist. As he laid her down he squeezed her butt briefly, making her giggle. Her eyes were filled with lust, though, so he quickly stripped her. "Is this part of your plans?" he asked her.

"No," she said, making his stomach drop. Then she smirked and said, "You're wearing too much." She watched him appreciatively as he shed his armor and underclothes. "Much better," she told him as she grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the bed. He landed atop her and rolled to the side before he could squish her, pulling her on top of him in the process.

"Now you're right where I want you," she purred into his ear, right before she slid him inside her. He grunted, surprised for a second, but quickly fell into rhythm with her. She gyrated her hips against him, and he felt her tighten around him an instant before she moaned his name. He lost control then, holding her by the hips as he pushed himself into her like he wanted to push himself through her. His vision greyed for a second as his awareness shrank down to his cock and her around it.

As the world faded back into focus, he kissed her and gently shifted her to his side. "I desperately needed that," she mumbled to him, snuggling into the crook of his arm. "Not that I'm done with you yet." She delicately traced one of his nipples with her index finger, making his heart start to race again.

He ran his fingers through her hair, brushing it away from her face. Sometimes it was hard for him to believe that the beautiful woman curled up at his side was also a legendary dragon slayer. It wasn't that she didn't look like a fighter; she was leanly muscular and had as many scars as he did, if not more. He just found it odd that she wanted him, and for more than just sex.

"Lass?"

"Hmm?" She looked up at him.

"Why me? I'm certainly not complaining, but you could have anyone you want. So...why me? Why an old thief instead of some rich, handsome lad from a respected family?"

She smiled at him, looking amused. "Anyone I want? So should I go hit on Maven?"

He snorted, thinking of the look on Maven's face if she tried. "Maybe not anyone. You know what I mean, though."

"I don't want one of them, I want _you_." She poked his chest. "I don't want more money or titles, not if I have to trade you for them. You...you made my life _interesting _again." She rested her hand on his chest over his heart.

He couldn't help but chuckle at that. Him, more interesting than slaying dragons and stealing everything that wasn't nailed down?

"Besides," she continued, looking proud of herself. "The Dragonborn can break all the rules. The Greybeards said so." She started giggling.

"Wait, what? They said that?" Like any Nord, he respected the Greybeards even if he knew next to nothing about them.

"They did indeed, although it was long ago and I doubt they meant for me to use it as an excuse for everything. On the other hand, they also named me Ysmir, and everyone knows Ysmir has a beard, so I'm thinking maybe they've been up on that mountain too long." She looked perfectly serious for a moment, and then he caught the corner of her mouth twitching upwards.

"You almost had me, except for this." He laughed as he tapped the corner of her mouth with a finger, making her smile again.

"Well, it's actually true. I know it sounds weird, but they did tell me those things. I bet you even heard them call me Ysmir, although you wouldn't have understood it at the time."

"I think I'm more interested in the free pass to do what you want than I am in whether or not you're Ysmir, lass," he said, still amused.

"But aren't you concerned I'll wake up one morning with a beard?" she asked him mischievously.

He laughed again. "Perish the thought. No, I can't say it's crossed my mind before." He reached over and stroked her chin lightly. "No beard yet," he told her, leaning over to kiss her chin. He left a trail of kisses from her chin down her neck, occasionally stopping to tell her that she was still beardless. He kept going, kissing his way down to her breasts, where he stopped to suck one of her nipples. She gasped and twisted under him, her hips rising for a moment.

He pulled back a second, watching her breasts rise and fall with her heavy breathing. He pinched the nipple he'd been sucking as he nipped at the other. She twitched and let out a little moan. He kissed his way down to between her legs, slipping his tongue into her folds and making her hips jerk towards him. Her hand was on his head, fingers tangled in his hair. He slid a finger in her, and then another, feeling her muscles start to clench. His tongue moved faster, urged on by her moans. She wrapped her legs around him as she came loudly, pulling his hair.

She relaxed her legs and released her grip on his hair, looking a little sheepish but pleased. "Sorry about the hair," she mumbled as she dropped a few strands she had pulled out. He crawled back up beside her and put his arm around her, letting her rest her head on his chest again.


	19. Chapter 19

_Thanks for reading, reviewing, etc!  
><em>

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><p>They spent the rest of the day and night together, only getting out of bed to have dinner while they watched the sun set. She woke just before the sun rose, when the world was still mostly shrouded in twilight. Brynjolf was pressed against her back, his arm draped over her and his breath tickling the back of her neck. She laid there for a while, enjoying the comfort and closeness and not wanting to wake him. For this short time, she could just be a woman enjoying the embrace of her lover. She could forget all the schemes and power plays she was always dealing with, and just be at peace.<p>

As the room got lighter and lighter, Brynjolf eventually woke as well. He squeezed her close to him with his arm, kissing the back of her neck. She could feel his erection pressing against her butt. "Morning," he whispered into her ear.

"Morning, love," she replied, lazily turning to face him. She kissed him gently, lingering for a moment to look at him. She loved seeing him all bleary-eyed and mussed in the morning, especially after a busy night together. He looked so vulnerable compared to how he usually held himself, and she just wanted to hold him and watch over him.

She sighed and slowly sat up. "I should get going soon, though. I hate traveling after dark up north, all that damn snow." She brushed some of his hair away from his face and stroked his head. "You don't have to get up yet if you don't want to. Stay here as long as you like. Help yourself to some food if you're hungry, too."

She got dressed and armored, Brynjolf watching her quietly from the bed. When she was ready to go, she sat down beside him again to say goodbye. "I'm not sure when I'll be back, but I'll try to hurry."

"Aye," he replied stoically. "Take care of yourself out there and come home safe. Something about this just doesn't feel right."

They embraced, her armor against his bare skin. "I will," she told him quietly. "And you take care of yourself, too. I love you."

"I love you, too," he said softly, and kissed her again. This kiss lasted longer, and by the time it was over her heart was leaping in her chest.

She stood up slowly, holding his hand and not wanting to let go. "I should go...before I end up back in bed..." He smiled and she squeezed his hand before letting go. She turned and opened the door, looking back at him to smile and give a little wave.

The ride to Winterhold was as uneventful as such a ride could be. She ran into a few bandits and occasionally some angry wildlife, but nothing she couldn't easily handle. Shadowmere wasn't exactly defenseless, either. She arrived in late afternoon and headed straight up to the college to find Enthir.

Enthir was in his room as usual, reading a book that he closed and put aside when she walked into the room. "So, what brings you here today?"

"I've a little puzzle that I was hoping you could help me with. A code, we think." She sat down in the chair beside him and pulled out the papers. Showing him the note covered in numbers, she told him an abbreviated version of the story, leaving out identifying details. "...And I thought that maybe you'd have some clue on how to decode it, since you did so well translating Gallus's journal."

"Hmm..." he replied, looking over the papers. "I'm not sure...but there was a book I was reading a few weeks back that might be helpful..." He rummaged around his desk, finally coming up with a small black book. _Ciphers of Tamriel: A Compendium _was written in worn silver across the cover. He flipped through the pages, stopping on a chapter entitled "Numerical Substitutions" and passing the book to her. "Let me see those papers again while you read that," Enthir requested, and she handed him the papers again.

She read through the chapter, trying to figure out how to decode the message. As far as she could tell, there were endless possibilities and a lot of trial and error involved. She could try finding the most common number and calling that 'e' and then maybe she could get the rest of the key from that...

"I have something, I think," Enthir announced. "Maybe. This map here...the 'X' is at C-7. I'm going to try plugging C in for 7, D in for 8, and so on." He scribbled away for a few minutes. "No, that didn't work. Dammit." He flipped through the other papers, looking for anything that could be a key.

"Maybe try it backwards?" she suggested. "C for 7, D for 6, like that."

"Actually...that might work," he admitted, and started writing again. "Yes, I think that might be it! At least I'm getting words this time..." She stretched her neck impatiently, trying to see what he was writing. "Okay, okay, I almost have it...there." He put the quill down and cleared his throat.

"The letter is addressed to 'T', does that make sense?" he asked her. She nodded and he continued. "Darkwater Crossing, Eighth of Hearthfire, bring proof of death and the papers. Package will be waiting, key enclosed. -E"

"That's tomorrow, isn't it. Shit. Thank you, Enthir, I really appreciate it. Please don't mention this to anyone. I need to run now, though." She scooped up her papers and shoved them into her bag, rushing out of the room.

_So much for not traveling at night in the snow, _she thought as she mounted Shadowmere. It was dark, and as usual so far north, it was snowing so hard she could barely see a horse length in front of them. Luckily, Shadowmere was sure-footed and rarely blundered into trouble like other horses, even in a blizzard like this.

They made decent time, reaching Darkwater Crossing as the sun was rising. She left Shadowmere hidden in some trees and stealthily approached the settlement. The map had given her a rough idea of where the drop might be, so she sneaked over to the area and started searching.

It wasn't long before she found a chest hiding beside a boulder. She pulled out the key from Tonilia's room and unlocked it. Inside was a stack of notebooks, tied together with twine. She quickly slid it into her bag and relocked the chest. She was standing up to leave when an arrow whistled past her head.

She threw herself behind the boulder and pulled out her own bow, nocking an arrow and peering around the rock to find her target. The dim early morning light made it hard for her to spot them, but she caught a flash off of armor and sent an arrow flying towards it. She was rewarded with a distant grunt, just before a fireball exploded right next to her, knocking her on her ass. _Dammit, I hate mages! _she thought as she regained her feet. Her left arm felt like it was still on fire, but she didn't have time to deal with it.

Peeking around the boulder again, she caught a better view of her attackers. There were at least three in shiny elven armor, plus the mage that she hadn't seen yet. _Thalmor, it has to be._ She showered the fighters with arrows, killing one and leaving another wounded on the ground. The third advanced on her, sheltering behind his shield but quickly gaining ground. She shot a few arrows at him, but they bounced off his shield, doing seemingly no damage. _Where's that mage?_ she wondered, pulling out her daggers and pouncing on the soldier. He sliced into her left arm, which was already in agony from the fire, and her vision blurred for a moment. The pain made her angry enough to recklessly swipe at him and cut his throat, but not before he'd cut her again.

She crouched low, yanking a healing potion from a pocket and downing it. The bleeding slowed immediately, but the burn still stung. She looked around frantically, trying to find the mage. A twig snapped somewhere off to her right, and she whipped around to see another another fireball racing towards her. She dove out of the way, missing the brunt of it but still catching a blast of heat. From cover, she shot arrow after arrow at the mage, but he kept returning fireballs.

At this rate, she'd be pinned here indefinitely until she ran out of arrows. She still couldn't quite catch sight of him for more than a few seconds as he was casting, and he seemed to be unusually spry for a mage. Leaning her bow against the rock for easy access, she pulled out her daggers and coated them in poison, then found an invisibility potion. She grabbed her bow again and sent a few arrows in his direction, then grabbed her daggers and downed the invisibility potion.

She set off to circle around behind him. He clearly still thought she was behind the boulder, since he was still shooting fireballs in that direction. She could see him better now, his dark robes clearly outlined by the brightening morning. He was advancing towards her former position, probably thinking she was down or out of arrows, but still had his hands up and ready to cast. She slipped behind him quickly and plunged her daggers in his back, taking him down before he could cast again.

She couldn't see any more of them and no one was attacking her, so she quickly searched the bodies. The mage had a fair bit of coin and some papers she took to read later. One of the soldiers was trying to drag himself away, his legs paralyzed, so she slit his throat quickly. Nothing important was on their bodies, so she dashed back to Shadowmere.

As she made her way uphill, she turned back and saw the unmistakable glint of armor, no doubt a backup Thalmor squad. She also realized that she and Brynjolf had been perilously close to the drop location when they had stopped on their way back from Blackreach. _What are the chances? Nocturnal must be in hysterics, laughing at us stopping in just the wrong place. Isn't she supposed to give us _good_ luck? _

Then she realized another implication: _were some of those Thalmor bastards watching us fuck?_

...

After she left in the morning, Brynjolf stayed in bed a while, catching up on the sleep he'd missed. The room smelled of her and sex, which he found comforting. He also wanted a little time to himself, away from the demands of his guildmates.

Later that day he returned, cheerfully hopping down into the cistern and making his way straight to the Flagon. He grabbed a drink from Vekel and took a seat with Delvin and Vex. "Anything happen I should know about?"

"Nope," Delvin replied. "Where ya been, anyway? You were back, then you disappeared again."

Vex snorted and rolled her eyes. "Look at him and figure it out, Delvin. A better question would be where's our guildmaster, since she doesn't seem to be attached to his hip today." Delvin gave her a dirty look in return.

"She had business elsewhere," Brynjolf said, glad to change the subject away from himself. "She'll be back in the next couple days, probably."

"Here to keep an eye on us then, huh?" Vex said.

"Something like that." The three bantered for a while, until other things called them away. It was business as usual until late morning the next day. He was standing around the cookfire with a few others when she came in, armor scorched and ragged.

Immediately he rushed over to her. "Are you okay? What happened to you, lass?"

"I'll be fine. We should talk somewhere more private, though." They ended up sitting with their backs to the vault, facing out to make sure no one came near. She kept her voice low. "I got to Winterhold without any trouble, and showed the note to Enthir. He figured out the cipher fairly quickly, actually. I should've realized then it was too easy. It was a drop location and today's date, and instructions." She handed him the decoded note. _Proof of death?_ he wondered as she continued with her story. "I was just leaving when I was ambushed by one of those Thalmor squads. Fucking mage nailed me good. If there'd been another like him, I might not have gotten away. I definitely wouldn't have been able to take them both down without taking some serious damage."

He resolved right then not to let her go out alone again until whatever this was was over. "You look pretty bad as it is. Are you sure you're okay?" He looked at her left arm, which looked sootier than the rest of her. Her sleeve was slashed, so he gently pulled it open to peek, making her wince and gasp. "That's what I thought. We need to take care of that burn before it festers." He stood and pulled her up, then went and dug through the desk, finding a jar and a roll of bandages. "C'mon," he told her, taking her right hand and pulling her after him to the practice room.

Sapphire and Rune were actually using the room for its intended purpose, but he had them clear out anyway. They gave them curious glances as they filed out, Sapphire frowning at her. "You look like shit," she pronounced before stalking out of the room after Rune.

"Charming as always," she mumbled after they had left.

"Let's get this off you," Brynjolf said, carefully removing her cuirass. She cringed as he pulled it away from her left arm, leaving a raw expanse of burnt skin crisscrossed with cuts. "Divines, look at you." He couldn't believe she was so calm about the whole thing. Anyone else would've been whining from the second they walked in the door, to say nothing of sitting down and telling the story. "Doesn't that hurt?"

"I'm used to it, from dragons." She trailed off as he started gently applying salve to the burn. "We need to look at those papers! The Thalmor-"

"Ssshh. Time enough after you're bandaged up," he scolded her. He finished with the salve and started winding the bandage around her arm. She sat there quietly, looking worried, until he was finished.

"Thanks," she told him. "It does feel better. But the Thalmor are after us, and we need to look at what I took from their drop. Their drop that we stopped right next to on our way back from Blackreach and didn't even notice." She rolled her eyes at the last bit, looking frustrated as she pulled papers and notebooks from her bag.

"You think she was working for the Thalmor?" he asked her, disgusted at the thought.

"Definitely. That note signed E was from Elenwen, their bitch ambassador, I'd bet you anything."

"I take it you have a history?" he asked.

"You could say that. I might've stolen a few things from the embassy. Some of those things might've been valuable intelligence. And I let Etienne out, remember? A few guards might've died along the way. Don't give me that look, I hadn't even met you yet, much less joined the guild! And she might be mad because I kicked her out of the peace conference at High Hrothgar. Oh, and that keep up in Haafingar, rescuing that poor Gray-Mane kid, that probably embarrassed her. Plus I killed every assassination squad she sent my way...I actually thought she'd given up by now." Again, she was strangely calm, aside from a slight furrowing of her brow at the last.

"She has more than enough reason to hate you, and so when we stopped by their drop, they took it as a threat and decided to come after us, is that it?" he finished for her. "Of all the stupid coincidences...let's see what they were so eager to hide, then. Might as well find out what they think we know."


	20. Chapter 20

_Thanks as always for reading, reviewing, etc! I have no excuse for why I've been slowing down with this story. I just can't get the words out of me. Sorry._

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><p>She read the mage's note first. Unsurprisingly, his orders were directly from Elenwen. He and his men were to stay out of sight and guard the drop, and he was given descriptions of her and Brynjolf with orders to call for reinforcements and then attack. They were to be taken captive if possible and held magically-the note was emphatic on that point-but their death was preferable to their escape. None of it was anything she hadn't already guessed, but it was harsh to see written in black and white.<p>

"I'm sorry I got you into this," she told Brynjolf. "It's my fault. They wouldn't even know you if you weren't with me." She could feel her eyes burning and she blinked quickly to clear them. "Maybe if I give myself up, I can convi-"

"No!" he interrupted her. "Don't you dare. We're safest right here. The guild will keep us hidden, you know that."

She knew they would, but she knew that wouldn't stop the Thalmor from destroying them all in their search for her. It would be safe enough for Brynjolf, but only if she kept their attention on her and kept her distance from him. Something must have shown on her face, because he reached out and lifted her chin to make her meet his eyes. Her resolve wavered when she saw the look of naked concern on his face, until she reminded herself that it was a weakness she had given him. The least she could do was protect him, and she might need to be hard to do it.

"A dragon doesn't hide when threatened, nor will I, especially not in my own home. They will back off or I will crush them," she declared firmly, feeling much like a proper dragon herself in that moment. If only she had a tail to flick or wings to stretch! "And if they dare harm you in the slightest, I will take it out of them a hundred times over. They will regret ever having heard of you."

He still looked concerned, although he seemed a bit stunned as well. Or awed? _Either would work,_ she decided. "You'll stay here out of sight and keep things in order while I go visit some people in Solitude."

"No."

She blinked. "What?"

"No, I will not sit here like some craven milk-drinker while you go off starting another Great War and getting yourself killed. I'll come with you, or we'll both stay here, but you're not going off alone again." Any awe or surprise was gone now; he actually looked almost angry.

_Of all the times for him to turn into a stubborn cocky Nord!_ She would have to figure out a way to change his mind, even if she had to trick him to keep him safe. Avoiding looking at him for the moment, she slit the twine on the remaining bundle and started flipping through the notebooks. "These are all in code. More numbers. Let me check if the other cipher works..." She found Enthir's notes from earlier and started trying to decode the books. "Of course not. That would be too easy." She sighed with frustration.

Maybe she really should go talk to General Tullius. He'd admitted once that he still considered the Thalmor a threat, regardless of the Empire's official position. Surely he had more resources to decode the books than she did, and he might even appreciate the intelligence. If she was really lucky, he'd be able to get Elenwen to leave them be, although she had her doubts. Her first inclination was to go straight for the ambassador and cut her throat, but that would hardly help things in the long run. No, she'd talk to the general first, and take it from there.

"I suppose I'll work on cracking these for the rest of the day, and tomorrow I'll leave for Solitude," she said as she gathered the notebooks.

"We," he corrected her. "_We_ will leave tomorrow."

"Right, of course I meant we," she lied. She'd have to find some way to keep him here while she settled things, but he didn't need to know that yet. He could just keep thinking he was going with her until she was halfway to Solitude without him.

...

Brynjolf spent the evening in the Flagon with her, drinking and enjoying himself. She seemed happy to stay by his side, which was a relief to him. After her earlier speech, he was half convinced that she'd leave him behind and go slaughter every Thalmor in Skyrim, but she hadn't even said a word about it. He'd gotten her to put away the books and papers and share some decent mead with him, and now she was halfway on his lap with flushed cheeks and a naughty little grin that made his groin ache.

He awkwardly pulled her onto his lap, making his chair creak ominously. She looked down at it with exaggerated trepidation, eyebrows raised over her wide eyes. He laughed and squeezed her close, and she started kissing his neck. At least it was busy enough tonight that they didn't attract many looks, although he thought he saw Vex smile at them, which was odd. He knew she wasn't really quite the bitch she pretended to be, but smiling at them in public? He must've been mistaken.

The woman on his lap twisted around to straddle him, and before he could do anything about it, the chair creaked again and gave out underneath them with a sharp cracking sound. He landed on his back on the stone floor with her still straddling him, giggling madly and quickly turning bright red. He sat up quickly, almost dumping her backwards in his haste to get off the ground.

Instead, he scooped her up and carried her over his shoulder back into the empty cistern, setting her down on the desk, which thankfully did not creak nor break. Her face was even more flushed from being upside down, and her hair was sticking up in several different directions, but she was still giggling and looked all the more beautiful for it. He kissed her and felt her pull him closer with her legs while her fingers fumbled with his belt and tugged down his pants, which dropped to his ankles.

She broke the kiss, panting heavily and undoing her own pants. "Fuck me now, right here," she whispered urgently in his ear. He yanked her pants the rest of the way off, happy to oblige, then pulled her down from the desk and flipped her around, bending her over and plunging deep inside her. She gasped and grunted and he thrust again, harder. He slipped a hand down between her legs, teasing and rubbing her as he filled her again and again. Knowing that anyone could walk in at any time made him crazy, and it took all his concentration to hold off until her orgasm hit her. His legs nearly gave out when he came, and he had to lean on her and the desk to stay upright.

"I love you," she panted a few seconds later. "Don't ever doubt that."

"I love you, too," he mumbled in reply, still adrift in a hazy afterglow.

They left for her house not long after, but she turned to him just outside with that mischievous look in her eye. "One hour. Let's see which of us can steal more of this city, hmm? Winner takes all."

"You're on, lass." He hadn't played this game in years, not since he was just a lad himself and Gallus was still leading the guild.

"My house in an hour, don't forget!" she said with a giggle, disappearing into the shadows.

He went for the market first, cleaning out Madesi's strongbox and heading for Grelka's stand when he felt someone pinch his butt. Her giggle reached his ears a second later, but she was gone by the time he turned. Grelka's stand was empty, so he ducked into the blacksmith's and emptied his safe ever so quietly, the man sleeping just a few feet away. He also went downstairs, hoping for precious metals or other valuable materials, and found a strongbox as well.

The Pawned Prawn was next. He grabbed what he could from upstairs and headed down to clear out their safe. To his amusement, Bersi was still making leaflets bemoaning the Thieves' Guild and calling for his fellow merchants to stand together against them. He emptied the safe but for one of the papers, which he left prominently in the front.

When he left the building, he glanced at the sky and realized the hour was up. He crossed the bridge in a hurry and made his way back to her house. Inside, she had stripped to her smalls and was reclined on her side in the bed, playing idly with a few gems, the rest of her loot in a pile on the floor nearby. She smiled when she saw him and sat up. "Right on time. Show me what you've got, and I'll pour us some of this Black-Briar Reserve that followed me home." She winked and walked into the kitchen, his eyes following her long bare legs for a few moments before he realized he was supposed to be tallying his take.

Although it was close, she conceded defeat. She was even more amused by Bersi's leaflets than he had been, and was wholly appreciative of his gesture with the safe. "I hate going in there. That bloody Drifa never sleeps!" she complained.

"Speaking of sleep, lass-shouldn't we get a bit of it before we have to leave in the morning?" He needed rest, but he was more interested in having her naked body pressed up against him.

"Mmm-hmm..." she said, looking at him. "You're overdressed, as usual. And we should finish this mead first, don't want to waste it!" She smirked and refilled his tankard, downing the remnant straight from the bottle.

He mentally shrugged and drank the rest of it while she started stripping him. Once he was down to his smalls, she pushed him back on the bed. He feel back easily, dizzy from chugging the mead, and she covered him with her body, kissing him passionately.

And then his vision went grey, and then black.


	21. Chapter 21

_Thanks as always for reading, reviewing, etc!_

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><p>While Brynjolf was out thieving, she had made a mad dash back down to the cistern and caught Vex. She'd already asked for her help earlier, but she hadn't had a chance to signal her before they'd left. She wasn't sure if Vex would help her, but once she heard what the plan entailed she was actually enthusiastic. It left her a bit more time to make an effort at the little competition she'd started with Brynjolf.<p>

He passed out more quickly than she'd thought, given his size. She wistfully kissed him a final time, trying to ignore the crushing guilt she felt looking at him snoring in her bed. After donning her armor, she scribbled a quick note to him, hoping he wouldn't hate her forever for drugging him and leaving him behind. She ducked her head out the door to call Vex in, who immediately started laughing when she saw him.

"Alright, here's what I gave him, if you need it again. He'll probably feel awful whenever he wakes up, so this other little bottle will fix that. Just don't let him follow me. In fact, it'd be best if you just don't let him out of the house and don't let it be known he's here. At least, not widely or outside the guild," she finished awkwardly.

Vex wasn't as amused anymore. "Who did you guys piss off, anyway?"

"Uh...I'm not sure you really want to know..." she trailed off lamely.

"I wouldn't ask if I didn't want to know," Vex snapped back.

"Fine. The Thalmor, okay? They've been after me for a while, and now they want him, too. Because of me, because I'm fucking stupid and should've known better. It's all my fault," she hissed back, trying to push back the burning in her eyes.

Vex was watching her intently, something like pity crossing her face. "Okay. I don't know how long I can keep him here, though. He's going to be furious when he wakes up, you realize."

She closed her eyes and nodded, trying to suppress her emotions. "I know. He'll probably h-hate me after this, but at least he'll be alive." She opened her eyes again to find Vex watching her curiously. "There's rope in that cupboard, if you need it. I need at least a few days. Not sure when I'll be back though...or if..." she told her, barely audible on the last two words. "I'll see if Karliah's around to give you a hand."

She turned to leave and Vex called after her. "Good luck."

"Thanks," she replied on her way out the door. "You too."

Once outside, she ran to the stables and hopped on Shadowmere. They circled around the city back towards Nightingale Hall. She ran inside, startling Karliah out of sleep. "What-what's going on?" the elf spluttered, standing up and grabbing her bow.

"Sorry, I wasn't trying to scare you. I just...I did something stupid and put Brynjolf in danger, and now I'm trying to fix it, and I was hoping maybe you could help? Please?" she rambled, knowing she was rambling and unable to help herself.

"Of course I'll help, but first you have to tell me what you're talking about. What did you do, and what do you need me to do?" she asked calmly.

"I... I... Well, the Thalmor have been after me for a while, and now they're after Bryn too, and I'm going to go take care of it, but I needed to make sure he'd stay home safe so I drugged him and left him with Vex and I was wondering if you'd help her out, because he might be a bit mad when he wakes up," she finished, speaking faster and faster. "Please?"

Karliah looked a bit confused and worried. "You...drugged Brynjolf? To keep him safe from the Thalmor? That makes no sense. Why?"

"Because he'd try to protect me and get himself killed, obviously!" she spat back. She saw comprehension dawn on Karliah's face at the same time as she realized that no one had ever told the elf they were together.

Karliah merely sighed, suddenly looking older and sadder. "I see. Yes, I'll go help her, just tell me where I'm going." She put on her armor and gathered her things quickly.

"Thank you," she told her and directed her to the house, then ran back out and mounted Shadowmere again. "Okay, we can't stop much, Shadow. All the way to Solitude, and then you can have a nice rest in the stable there. Remember that pretty blonde mare?" The horse tossed his head, and she patted him as he trotted off to the northwest.

...

Brynjolf slowly woke, first becoming aware of himself through the pounding, blinding pain in his head. Next he realized his whole body was aching, and the room was far too bright. Wasn't he supposed to do something today? His eyes flew open as he realized that his hands were bound behind his back and his ankles were tied together, and he was still wearing just his smalls. The room was empty, and he saw a note on the pillow next to him-not that he could read it with his hands tied behind his back.

He must've made some noise when he woke, because Vex and Karliah appeared from the kitchen area. "What the fuck!" he yelled at them.

The women exchanged a knowing glance, and Vex produced a vial. "Here, for the headache," she said as she handed it to him. He looked at it suspiciously, then looked at her. She stared back at him, unruffled, and raised an eyebrow at him challengingly. He downed the vial and she smirked with satisfaction. Too late he realized that he should've gone with his first instinct and not trusted her.

The next time he woke it was dark but for a few candles, and Karliah was napping in a chair by the bed. He tried to sit up, feeling hungry and thirsty and needing to pee, and she woke. "Easy now," she said, helping him to sit up against the headboard. "Do you need anything?"

"Water," he rasped at her. She loosed the bonds on his wrists and retied his hands in front of him, then handed him a tankard from the side table. He sniffed it before drinking, then looked at her. "Why?"

"I should think you would know why," she replied with a little dry chuckle.

"Why would you help her? I can't imagine you were pleased when you found out about us." He was hoping he'd be able to convince her to let him go, if he could just poke a few holes in her reasoning.

"No, but since I obviously couldn't dissuade either of you, I thought I should at least stop you from following in my footsteps," she said softly.

"Don't you think it's a little late for that?" he sneered at her.

She shook her head. "Don't you understand? Haven't you figured it out yet?" She glared at him in frustration. "For so many years, I blamed myself for distracting Gallus that night. Maybe if I hadn't followed him, it would've been Mercer who died. So when she came storming in the other night, I knew I had to help her and stop you from making the same mistake." She watched him, exhaustion plain on her face.

He was silent for a few minutes, unsure of what to say for once, then remembered the note on the bed next to him. It was an apology more than anything, explaining that she wanted to keep him safe and begging his forgiveness. He wasn't sure whether he wanted to strangle her or kiss her, not that he could do either as long as he was stuck here. However, he had to acknowledge that Karliah had a good point. That didn't mean he couldn't ask all his contacts for news of her, if he could just get them to let him. Or better yet, he could send someone to keep an eye on her.

"How long have I been out, anyway?" he asked her.

"Almost two days," she replied.

"That long? Have you-has anyone heard from her?" He had thought it was evening of the same day, at the latest.

Karliah shook her head. "Two days isn't that long. Give her some time to get things done before you do anything stupid, okay?"

He rolled his eyes. "I just want to know if she's okay, that's all. I promise I won't go running after her." _Yet, _he thought. "Can I at least put on some clothes and go back down to the cistern?"

"I suppose, if you swear you won't go anywhere else," she said uneasily.

"Fine, I swear I won't go anywhere else." _Yet, _he amended in his head again.

She cut his bonds and went in the other room to let him dress. The first time he stood, he felt woozy and had to sit back down, but he regained his steadiness after a minute. He walked into the other room when he was ready, and together they returned to the guild in silence.


	22. Chapter 22

_Thanks for reading and stuff, and all the lovely reviews! I love you guys._

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><p>The Dragonborn rode straight through to Solitude, not stopping for anything. The sun was up before she'd left the Rift, and it was getting dark by the time she reached Solitude. She kept falling asleep on Shadowmere, and as she dismounted she couldn't stop shivering. Her head ached and she thought she might be coming down with something. Nonetheless, she strode through the city straight to Castle Dour to find General Tullius.<p>

She found him in the strategy room as usual, sitting and flipping through a book. "General," she greeted him.

He put his book down and raised an eyebrow at her. "Legate. And I thought you were done with us."

She couldn't help but blush a little. "Well, I seem to have stumbled on something you might find interesting."

"I'm listening," he replied.

She fumbled through her bag, pulling out the notebooks and the mage's orders. "The Thalmor tried very hard to kill me for these. They're in code, but I thought you might have people for that." She gave him the pile. "Oh, and the note was on the mage in charge of the group that attacked me." She waited awkwardly while he read the paper and flipped through the notebooks.

He gave the books to Rikke, who she hadn't noticed enter. "Take these to Marcus. He should be down in the barracks. Tell him it's Thalmor, and keep it quiet." She took them and exited the room. He turned back to the Dragonborn. "So, what's the story then?"

She told him everything she could without compromising any of the more secretive organizations she belonged to. He sighed when she was done. "You realize I have next to no influence with Elenwen or any of them, right? The Concordat allows them to operate more or less without restriction. I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do for you."

Her spirits fell when she heard that. It wasn't unexpected, but she'd held onto the hope like it was the last bit of wreckage adrift with her in the open ocean. Now what could she do?

"I suppose I can at least let you know what intelligence you recovered, if we can decode it."

"Thanks," she said stiffly. "I'll just be at my house here in the city if you need me. I'll be back here tomorrow, though."

After he dismissed her, she went to her house and fell into bed still in her armor, asleep the instant her head hit the pillow. Whatever bug she'd caught was really wearing her out. Her dreams were confusing and disturbing. One minute she was being tortured by Elenwen, a malicious smile on the ambassador's face as she leaned towards her with a dagger, then the roles were reversed and she was torturing the Altmer. Another minute later it was Brynjolf cutting the ambassador, angrier than she'd ever seen him, and then he turned on her, driving his dagger into her chest while she just gaped at him in confusion.

She woke with a gasp, her ears ringing and stars floating across her vision as she sat up. The room was dark and empty and silent. Her body still ached and she shivered as she got out from under the blankets to check the house, even though she was still fully dressed. Nobody was there, of course, so she went back to sleep.

In the morning she felt a little better, although she was still a bit weak and her head ached worse than ever. She sat in the antechamber of Castle Dour, waiting for news on the decoding of the books. Finally, late that afternoon, she noticed a soldier striding purposefully into the main room where the general was, carrying an armful of familiar books and some rolls of paper. She stood and waited in the door as the cryptographer was debriefed, unable to catch more than a word or two of the conversation.

Once he was dismissed, the general waved her over. "It's definitely troubling, what they've gotten decoded so far. They know things about the Empire's plans that we had thought were still secret, information that was only shared within very highly-placed exclusive circles."

"So you have a spy," she stated.

"Yes, and there's more. It seems they're gradually placing their people undercover in the cities, in larger and larger numbers. There's incredibly detailed information on Riften and Windhelm, including a number of unguarded and little-known entrances. I'm having messages drafted now to both of those jarls, and I'll be sending reminders to the other jarls to make sure their cities' defenses aren't so porous."

"What do you think they're doing? Are they planning on invading?" she wondered.

"I don't know, but nothing good can come of it. I want you to carry the messages to Windhelm and Riften immediately, though. And you can stay on in Riften to advise the jarl for the time being. She'll need help securing the city, from the looks of it. I'd appreciate it if you'd make available _all_ your resources, do you understand?" He looked at her sternly.

"Well, of course, not that I have that many resources..." She furrowed her brow, unsure of what he was requesting of her.

"Now isn't the time to play coy, Legate. I know damn well you're high up in both the Thieves' Guild and the Dark Brotherhood. Use them to help us, and I just might forget about your connections and those organizations...indefinitely."

"Yes, sir," she replied, swallowing hard. _He must be truly worried about what he learned from those books! More worried than he ever was about the Stormcloaks. What does that mean? Have I really started another war?_

Sick or not, she left for Windhelm as soon as the missives were prepared. She rode through the night, thankful for the cover of darkness. Every time she thought she saw people on the road she would detour across the land, half the time finding out that it was just a stump or boulder.

She was in the Palace of the Kings at first light, waiting for the jarl. She caught Brunwulf Free-Winter as he walked into the main hall and handed him the message. He thanked her, frowning, and told her she looked sick and should go to the temple for healing. _Thanks, I hadn't noticed, _she thought sarcastically. As she was leaving, she heard him start talking heatedly with his captain of the guard, no doubt upset over the security lapses.

She hurried out of the city, eager to return to Riften. She was jogging down the bridge out of the city when she felt the sting of an insect biting the back of her neck. She slapped at it and felt tiny feathers, which she thought was very strange as she hit the ground.

...

That night, Brynjolf was playing cards with a few of the guys in the cistern when Delvin came in smirking at him. "Got news for ya, Bryn." He paused, obviously enjoying prolonging the tension.

"And that news is...?" he prompted him impatiently.

"She was in Windhelm this morning, talking to the jarl."

He relaxed. "Good. Is that all?"

"Yeah, that's it."

"Thanks."

"Yeah, no problem." Delvin left and he went back to the game.

He waited impatiently for the next few days, until one day around midday when Maven came storming in. "Where is she?" she demanded. "I don't appreciate being made to look the fool. She'd better have a good reason for not bringing me that message immediately."

He felt a knot form in his stomach. "I'm sorry, Maven, but I don't know what you're talking about."

She snorted. "Today I got a visit from a legate, offering some of his men to assist with my _security_ problems. I denied any such issues, of course, and found out that I was supposed to have received a message from General Tullius a couple days ago-a message carried by _your_ guildmaster. Now tell me, _where is she?_"

"She hasn't been here for about a week. Now please, excuse me." He walked past Maven, ignoring her angry spluttering, and found Karliah. "I'm not waiting any longer. Maven said she was supposed to be here a couple days ago."

"Then I'm coming with you," she told him, grabbing her things. "Did I hear Delvin say Windhelm?"

"Aye."

He set a rapid pace, and their poor horses were lathered by the time they arrived at Windhelm. Shadowmere was still at the stable, but he couldn't decide if that was a good or bad sign. He remembered the last time he'd been here, before they'd gotten close, and how intimidating the big black horse had been. Now he just gave him a pat, wishing he could talk.

He had Karliah question the owners of the stables while he went into the city. Delvin had said she'd been talking to the jarl, but he didn't know the man well enough to just walk up to him and expect an answer. He found Torsten, with whom he'd been meaning to visit soon anyway, and convinced him to come with him to see the jarl.

The jarl had little useful to say, however. "She was here delivering a message a few days back, but I haven't seen her since then. Did you ask her housecarl?" A few minutes later they were questioning Calder in her house, but he hadn't seen her in weeks.

He bought Torsten a drink while he waited for Karliah to meet him at the inn. "So, you really care about her, don't you?" Torsten asked him, smiling.

"Aye, I suppose I do," he admitted.

"Never thought I'd see the day," Torsten chuckled. They chatted until Karliah came in and joined them.

"Find anything?" he asked her by way of greeting.

"Nothing reliable," she replied. "Just half a comment from a little boy. His governess hushed him rather quickly, though, and what he said..." She paused for a moment and then shook her head. "Just a child's imaginings, I'm sure."

"What _exactly _did he say, Karliah?" he asked her, getting frustrated.

"Exactly? I'm not sure, but he asked if she was the one they shot. Then the nanny shushed him and dragged him away from the stables. I'm sorry, but I wasn't going to chase down a child." He felt like he'd been punched in the stomach, but he tried to maintain his composure and focus on her words.

"Wait a minute-are you talking about my son Grimvar?" Torsten interjected. "A boy with dark hair, about that high," he gestured with his hand. "His nanny's a dark elf, Idesa Sadri."

"Could be," she said uncertainly. "I didn't get names, but the description fits."

He stood and excused himself, promising to question his son and return. Brynjolf was unable to sit still, pacing back and forth in their corner of the common room. Some of the locals were glaring at Karliah, so he glared right back. He felt like he could kill someone with his bare hands, and it must have been obvious because people started deliberately avoiding looking at them.

It was quite a while before Torsten returned, looking disturbed. He leaned over to him and spoke quietly, but urgently. "Are you involved with the Thalmor, Bryn? Because that's who took her. Idesa was practically crying, she was so terrified by them. Thank the Divines Grimvar didn't truly understand what was going on. I'm sorry, but I want nothing to do with this. Good luck though, I think you'll need it." He walked out of the inn.

Brynjolf wasn't sure what to do next. He found himself pacing again, and realized Karliah had stepped in front of him and was calling his name. "Should we try Solitude now?"

"Solitude? Aye, Solitude, good idea!" He should've thought of that immediately, but apparently he wasn't thinking too clearly at all. He left so quickly Karliah had to run to catch up with him. She also had to remind him several times to slow down before he ran their horses to death, which he did mainly because walking would be even slower. He remembered Etienne's tales of Thalmor "hospitality" and had no intention of leaving her there for a second longer than necessary.


	23. Chapter 23

_I love you all, readers and reviewers! Thank you! Sorry if the first part is a bit short, but captivity is BORING._

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><p>The first thing she was aware of was the pain in her arms. She tried to stretch then and realized she couldn't move. Finally opening her eyes, she realized she was in a cell with her arms and legs chained to the wall, surrounded by a strange glowing nimbus. The air felt thick around her, almost gelatinous, and she could hear garbled voices coming from outside her cell.<p>

"...not until...orders. Too dangerous..."

"But the breeding..."

"...Empress Herself requested..."

"Truly? ...wait then. Not...my head..."

"I think...awake."

A guard in elven armor entered her cell with a small bottle in hand. She gave him a dirty look and he laughed. She could see a mage watching her from just outside the room, probably the one casting whatever this spell was that had turned the air around her almost solid. The guard plugged her nose roughly and tilted her head back, pouring the contents of the bottle in her mouth. She tried not to swallow, to spit it back in his smug face, but he put his hand on her chin and closed her mouth, tilting her head back so she had to swallow. The world spun a few moments later, and she passed out again.

The next time she woke, it was to find Elenwen standing over her with a dagger, smirking. "Finally, I have you right where you belong. I've had enough of you sabotaging my career. I would've killed you, but the Empress has recently taken an interest in you." She laughed. "Well, She has an interest in your blood, that is, and I'm sure you'll make fine pets, but no doubt you'll _wish _we'd killed you." She slashed her wrist with the dagger and produced a vial, filling it with the blood. "Funny how it looks the same as any blood, isn't it. Now go back to sleep." The elf extended a glowing arm towards her, and her vision went black again.

...

Brynjolf and Karliah arrived in Solitude as the sun was rising. "I'll go to Castle Dour and talk to her contact. You should look around the embassy office here in the city, see if you can find where they take their prisoners. I'll meet you at the inn after," he told her, stopping in front of the entrance. She nodded and walked away, and he entered the castle alone.

The first thing he heard inside was voices arguing, not quite loud enough for him to make out the words. There were so many legionnaires in the front chamber that he didn't bother trying to sneak, but walked right up to the doorway. Predictably, he was stopped by one of the soldiers before he could get anywhere, and he convinced the man to take him to General Tullius.

For all he'd heard about the man, the last thing he expected was a slight older fellow with greying hair. His eyes were shrewd as he appraised Brynjolf, though, and he knew better than to underestimate the veteran soldier. "Yes? What do you want?" he asked gruffly.

"I'm looking for someone," he said, and explained what he'd learned in Windhelm.

The general looked concerned, but not surprised. "So you're the other one in the note, then," he stated. "I'm sorry, but I can't help you."

"That's it? One of your own is taken, while on your business no less, and you're just going to leave her?" he asked incredulously, his voice rising. He couldn't believe they were giving up on her so easily after all she'd done for them.

"Quiet! You don't know what you're asking. I think it's high time you leave, or shall I have some of my men escort you out?" he threatened sternly.

"No need, I'm on my way out," he retorted icily, turning his back on the man and walking towards the exit.

"Hey, you dropped something," a female legate called from behind him. She handed him a folded piece of paper and returned to the other room before he could even open his mouth to say anything.

Once he was sitting in a corner of the inn facing the entrance, he opened the note. All it said was "Northwatch Keep", scrawled messily at an odd angle. He didn't remember hearing of it before, but there were so many ruins across Skyrim that it didn't mean much.

Karliah returned within the hour. When she sat down, she passed him a roll of paper. "I found a map of their operations in Skyrim. I'm not sure where they're holding her, but at least it narrows things down a bit."

He opened the map and started poring over it, pushing his note to her side of the table. "The general refused to help me, but one of them passed me this note. Northwatch Keep...it's here! Not far at all. Let's go." He tapped his finger on the map to show her, and they gathered their things to go.

Once the keep came into view, Karliah stopped him. "Do we have a plan?"

"I was just going to wait for dark and sneak in, do you have a better idea?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"I'm going to try to get an idea of the layout, maybe see if I can get a better view along that cliff somewhere." She pointed at the mountains to their south.

"Just don't get seen. I'll circle around by the water and take a look. Meet you on the other side, okay?" She nodded curtly to him and melted into the underbrush.

He found a back door, although he didn't dare go closer due to the two guards standing next to it. The ruin seemed remarkably intact, especially its walls. He found no other ways in and out, just the front and back, both well guarded.

Karliah met up with him on the other side as agreed, behind a boulder at the base of the cliff. "The place is crawling with guards," she told him in a low voice. "The walls are lined with them, and the entrance has at least four, one on each side inside and out. I don't think we've been spotted yet, though, and it looks like there's only one building."

"There's a back door. Two guards that I saw, but I couldn't see inside. Of course, that means they can't see from just inside, either. That's probably our best bet."

They waited until the sun had been down for a few hours before they decided to move. He was hoping to slip in when the guards would be more tired and less alert; they needed every advantage they could get, as outnumbered as they were. He wasn't sure what kind of shape she'd be in, either, which reminded him-potions. He should've brought more potions.

"Karliah, what do you have for potions?" he asked her urgently.

"I brought plenty of extra, don't worry," she assured him, handing him a satchel. "I thought you might forget."

"Oh. Thanks," he replied sheepishly as he tucked it away. "Let's go then."

The back gate was still flanked by a pair of guards, but they were no match for the pair of Nightingales, both dead before they knew they were under attack. They quietly dragged the bodies around the corner of the wall, and used the key found on one of them to open the gate, closing it behind them.

In the courtyard a few soldiers were patrolling, but none were at their end when they walked in, for which he thanked Nocturnal. The archers on the walls were mostly watching outwards. There was a door into the building just a few steps away, although the key didn't work on it. It wasn't easy to pick, either, but he managed to open it before any of the guards reached their end of the courtyard.

Inside was a long corridor and a flight of stairs going down. A solitary guard was patrolling the hallway, looking bored. It was easy to slip behind him and slit his throat, although there was nowhere to hide the body so he just dropped it behind the entry door. At the foot of the stairs the hallway widened and opened into a room on the left.

He motioned for Karliah to stop behind him and crept closer to peek around the corner. The room was lined with cells, and had a closed door at the other end. One of the guards was just a few feet from him, but he was staring straight ahead and didn't notice him. He ducked back quickly, but not before he noted the presence of a few more guards at a table and a mage at the other end of the room.

He backed up into the hallway with Karliah and briefly told her what he'd seen. "You take down the mage while I get the guard on the corner, then we'll get the rest." She nodded and they proceeded back down the stairs.

As his guard fell to the ground, feathers sprouted in the mage's neck. The man grabbed at the arrow and pulled it out, realizing too late he'd just hastened his own death. One of the guards at the table heard his gurgle and shot out of her chair, calling out in alarm. "Intru-" was as far as she got before an arrow caught her in the side of the head. Brynjolf ducked behind the other two guards while they were looking for the source of the arrows, and managed to stab them in the back one right after the other before they could call out again.

Now that it was empty, they each picked a side of the room and searched the cells. The first one he looked in held nothing but straw, and he was about to look in the second when Karliah urgently whispered "Here!" from the far corner, where she was already picking the lock on the cell door.

He rushed over to help, and his stomach turned to ice when he saw her. She was thinner and paler than he recalled, her body was limp, and her eyes looked blank for the few seconds they were open before she passed out again. He would have to carry her out.


	24. Chapter 24

_Not entirely happy with this but I can't edit and rewrite and edit forever..._

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><p>When the mage's spell failed her ears popped and woke her, although after the guard's yell she assumed she had woken due to another of their arguments. She'd almost drifted back asleep when the door to her cell swung open. The motion made her jump and she realized she could move again, although she was still chained to the wall.<p>

Her vision was still blurry, no matter how much she blinked, so she couldn't quite tell who was freeing her. The ringing in her ears made their whispers into nonsense, although it was vaguely familiar and comforting. For that reason she swallowed what they gave her, and her senses slowly began to clear.

She got scooped up and was now being carried somewhere. Her body still felt weak, but her vision and hearing had started working properly again. It could only be Brynjolf carrying her, although she didn't think he was alone. She didn't dare make a noise until she knew she wouldn't give them away, and she didn't think she would be much good sneaking now anyway, so she just leaned towards him in hopes of making herself easier to carry stealthily. His warmth helped still her shivering, and she felt her eyelids getting heavy again. It was just so comforting and safe in his arms...

She must've fallen asleep again, because the next thing she knew she was in a rough bed in an unfamiliar room. Looking around, she spied someone reading a book in a chair next to the bed. "Karliah?" she queried weakly.

The elf closed her book and smiled at her. "You're awake! No, don't try to sit up. You've been very ill. Do you need anything? Water?"

After she'd had a few sips, she decided to ask. "Was Brynjolf-is he here, too?"

"He should be back soon," she assured her, but she thought she had looked concerned for a second before she quickly resumed smiling.

"Thank you, Karliah...for everything," she said awkwardly. "I'm an idiot."

The small woman laughed. "You're welcome. We're all idiots sometimes," she admitted wryly.

Just then a priest walked into the room, smiling. "I thought I heard voices. Welcome back, Dragonborn."

"Um...thanks."

The priest healed her more, passing his glowing hands over her body, which made her a little uneasy for some reason even as she slowly regained some steadiness. As he finished, Karliah managed to politely usher him out of the room while murmuring her appreciation.

"So...what happened? How did you guys know...?" she asked hesitantly.

"Maven came in looking for you, furious because you were days late bringing her a message. Brynjolf refused to stay put after that, so I went with him and we just followed what leads we could until we found you," she explained. "He was frantic the whole way."

"Where is he, anyway?"

"He had some...business to attend to, but he should be back any time now." Her eyes flicked away for a second midway through the sentence. "Are you hungry? I'm always hungry after I've been healed. I'll go get you something."

Karliah left the room suspiciously hastily, but her stomach was empty and she wasn't sure when she'd last eaten. They had occasionally fed her while she was imprisoned, but not regularly and usually just a small bit of stale bread or barely warm broth. She ate ravenously when given some hot soup and a chunk of fresh bread. With her stomach full, she felt much better and wanted to get out of bed, although Karliah wouldn't let her do more than sit up.

Finally Brynjolf walked in the door. Upon seeing her awake, he crossed the room in a heartbeat and pulled her close to him. Karliah had vanished, but he kept his voice quiet anyway. "I thought I'd lost you, lass," he said huskily. "I'm glad you're alive, but don't think I'm not upset with you."

"I'm so sorry," she sobbed into his neck. "I just-I didn't..."

"Shh, it's okay, it's okay..." he comforted her, rubbing her back.

...

After giving her every healing potion he had, Brynjolf had carried her out of the building, passing through the still-unguarded back gate, all the way back to Solitude and straight to the temple healers, who had just been rising for the day. They had taken one look at her and put her in a bed, and immediately one of them had started healing her. He had watched anxiously as the man had muttered over her, his hands glowing until he turned and spoke.

"I can't fix everything right now. There's just too many things going on, but she should live, and with a little luck, the baby will be fine, too."

The word hit him like a slap in the face. "The what?" His ears filled with a rushing sound and his legs went weak. He found himself sitting on a chair that hadn't been there a moment ago. The priest was smiling at him indulgently, while Karliah looked a bit worried around the edges of her smirk.

"Congratulations," the priest told him. "You still have most of the pregnancy to get used to the idea, don't worry. Now, she needs to sleep for quite a while. Don't try to wake her up. She'll wake up naturally when she's ready."

He nodded dumbly, staring at her abdomen, and the man left. His shock was wearing off and his emotions were vacillating wildly. Fear and anxiety warred with happiness and love and everything in between. He had been so close to losing her and never even knowing about..._their_ child. The baby was his, he knew it; there was no one else, there hadn't even been _time _for anyone else, not within the time frame the priest had mentioned.

What was he going to do? He was the last person who should ever be a parent. They had enemies, obviously, and they couldn't bring a child into the middle of that. Like how these damn Thalmor needed to be forced to leave them alone, and he was the only one who could do it.

He stood up, his decision made. "Karliah, I need to take care of some things. I should be back by tomorrow morning, but if I'm not...could you make sure she gets somewhere away from here? Somewhere safe?"

She sighed. "Of course I will, Brynjolf. But dare I ask what you're planning?"

"I'm just going to take care of some things," he replied stoically.

She sighed again, with more frustration. "I suppose there's no dissuading you. Here, I have a few invisibility potions and some extra lockpicks you can have." A worried frown on her face, she handed him the items. "Walk with the shadows."

He made his way to the inn, where he proceeded to interrogate Gulum-Ei for every little bit of his knowledge about the embassy. As usual, he was satisfied with the amount of information the Argonian suddenly "remembered" when frightened. He did a quick bit of shopping and left the city, quickly making his way out to the embassy.

Once there, he waited out of sight in some bushes until someone returned late in the day and the gate was opened. Before the guard could close the gate behind them, Brynjolf was cutting his throat. He dragged the body to the bushes, pocketing the guard's key ring and shutting the gate behind him when he entered the grounds. Another guard was by the front door, but she was as oblivious as the first and went down easily.

The door was locked, but one of the guard's keys worked and he was quickly inside. He needed to find the ambassador, this Elenwen. Normally he did his best to avoid too much violence-it always cost too much to clean up-but right now, he was ready to direct his anger at those who deserved it. And so he didn't feel too guilty when he killed every guard in his way until he found the woman he was seeking upstairs, sitting at a long table eating a late supper in a room at the end of the hall.

To her credit, she didn't scream when he grabbed her from behind, covering her mouth with his left hand while he twisted her right arm behind her back. He forced her to the floor, face down with his knee resting on her arm behind her back. "Your guards are all dead," he told her coldly. "But don't worry, I plan on letting you live." He grabbed some napkins from the table and quickly fashioned a gag for her.

"Do you know who I am?" She nodded, even with her head pressed sideways on the floor, still glaring. "Good. Then you know who to leave alone. I don't care how you do it, but make sure no more of your people come after us. If I so much as see any of them lurking around, I'll kill them, and then I'll come for you. Do you understand?" She whimpered a little behind the gag, but eventually nodded.

He let up the pressure on her back in order to tie her up, and caught a glimpse of a glow forming in her palm. Quick as a snake he stomped on her hand, hearing a sickening crunch under his boot and eliciting another muffled moan from her. "That was foolish," he told her as he tied her arms behind her back. She whimpered again when the rope bit into her broken hand, but he wasn't taking any chances. He sat her up, pulling away the gag momentarily and forcing her to swallow some magicka poison he'd bought that afternoon.

Now that her magic was neutralized, he needed to make sure she didn't raise the alarm until he was gone. He tied her legs together, then impulsively pulled out a dagger. She slumped over unconscious when he slashed the tendons at the back of her ankles, insuring that she wouldn't be able to walk even if she were to wake.

He spied some rolls of paper in a basket by one of the cabinets and grabbed one. She was bleeding more than he'd expected, so he needed to make sure the message was clear in case she forgot or died. He decided to keep it simple; "Leave us alone!" should suffice. Since she had known who he was immediately, he didn't think he needed to specify who the "us" was.

He swept the table clear and laid her body on it, then retied her to it. Her clothes ripped off easily after a few strategic cuts with a dagger, and he tossed them into a nearby fire. She had a mage's body, far too soft and mostly unmarred by scars. "You're lucky you disgust me," he growled in a low voice, wrinkling his nose. He had never really been one to get aroused by his hatred of somebody, nor did he have the stomach for rape, but he wanted this woman humiliated and disgraced. Naked would have to do, though, because he wasn't exactly up to the task himself. He backhanded the unconscious woman before grabbing one of the knives he'd swept to the ground and using it to pin the note to the table next to her.

Afterwards, he got out of the embassy as quickly as he could. He had taken longer in the building than he'd intended, but he still stopped to clean the worst of the blood off of him before returning to the city. From the volume of blood he washed off, he suspected that he really had killed every embassy guard working that night, especially since he hadn't seen any more of them on his way out.

The cold fury of earlier had worn off, to be replaced by a strange calm. He still felt nervous, but his self confidence was returning. Even though he felt somewhat ashamed of the brutality he'd displayed earlier, he also felt like he'd regained some control over his life. If he was honest with himself, he knew his actions might not have helped much, but at least he had earned them a temporary reprieve.

Finally he made it back to the Temple of the Divines and her room. She was awake and sitting up in bed, looking so much more alive than when he'd left, and he had her in his arms within a second.


	25. Chapter 25

_Thanks to everyone for reading, reviewing, and all that stuff! I love you all, gentle readers! I threw in a little DAO line, so sorry if she suddenly turns into Alistair in your head!_

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><p>She couldn't stop crying for quite a while, despite Brynjolf's reassurances. <em>I don't deserve you, I don't deserve forgiving, I deserve nothing, <em>she thought. "Can't stop," she choked out between sobs. She felt him shaking, and realized he was laughing. "Why are you laughing?" she asked, bewildered.

"Because, lass," he started, still chuckling. "Because I'd heard that pregnant women were emotional, and now I believe it."

"What did you just say?" she asked, pulling away from him and looking at him suspiciously, opening her eyes wide.

He was grinning at her now, obviously amused by her surprise. "You're pregnant. The priest told us when he healed you."

"I'm-we're...how?" She had taken steps to prevent this, even though she had doubted she was even fertile. She hadn't always been so careful in the past, but had never fallen pregnant. Yet when she thought about the past month, so many things suddenly made sense. She knew it was correct and she was terrified. Nothing about this would be easy.

Brynjolf was laughing again. "Did you just ask me _how,_ lass?"

She started giggling despite herself. "I meant I took precautions! I know how babies are made."

"Speaking of which," he said soberly, suddenly looking awkward as a blush rose in his cheeks. "I am...uh, I'm the father, right?"

"Of course," she replied. "Who else? When? You're the only one, you've been the only one." She felt her eyes tearing up again and she blinked to clear them.

"Don't be upset, lass," he beseeched her. "I just didn't want to assume anything."

"I know, I'm sorry," she murmured, blinking furiously. "What are we going to do?"

"We should go back to Riften, the sooner the better," he told her, looking distant for a moment. "How are you feeling? Do I need to get a cart for you?"

"Don't be ridiculous," she snapped, feeling her cheeks burn. "I can sit a horse. I wanted to get up already, but Karliah wouldn't let me." He smirked at her and she immediately felt stupid. "Can I get up now? Please?"

"Slowly," he cautioned her. "Lean on me if you need it."

She was dizzy for the first few seconds as she stood, but after that she felt more stable, if a bit weak. "Is there anything I can wear? These rags are disgusting." She hoped he had managed to find her armor, but the look on his face said otherwise.

"I'll ask Karliah if she has something," he said as he stepped out of the room. He was back a minute later with a bag that had what looked like standard guild armor in it. While he helped her dress, she worked up her courage.

"We're...really doing this then? Having a baby together?" she asked him uncertainly.

He smiled at her more sweetly than she'd ever expected to see, and told her, "Aye, lass, it seems we are. Are you okay?"

_Am I okay?_ She looked at him while she thought for a second. He looked brighter than he had since they'd returned from Blackreach, even if his eyes did have dark circles under them. "I think I will be," she replied softly, smiling weakly at him. "I'm just a little...surprised, that's all." _And scared and nervous and..._she stopped her runaway thoughts. "It's a lot to think about."

He pulled her to him and hugged her, saying, "It is, but if there's anything you need, just say the word. I'm here for you." Then he kissed her, and she realized she had forgotten how sweet his lips were on hers. Everything would be okay.

...

Something had shifted within Brynjolf, without his conscious effort. He was determined to actually do what he was supposed to do for once, at least in this one part of his life. Now if he could only figure out exactly what that was, he'd be okay. He wasn't planning on reinventing himself or doing anything drastic, just on taking care of his family.

His family, meaning his child and his..._the mother of my child_, he amended in his head. He was thinking about asking her to marry him, but he had no idea how to go about it. He certainly had never thought about doing anything of the sort ever before. The thought of being with only one woman for the rest of his life was daunting, he had to admit, but she wasn't boring. She'd nearly worn him out on more than one occasion, although he'd never tell anyone. And...he _wanted _to marry her. _I want her to be my wife._

First he had to get her back to Riften, though. He hadn't thought to bring her horse, and he didn't think Karliah had managed to tuck _that_ away like she had so many other things. Stealing a horse was a bit contrary to the idea of keeping her safe, unfortunately, and riding together that far would probably slow them down more than he wanted. He'd just have to buy a horse for her, and find someone to sell it to after they retrieved Shadowmere.

"I don't think that's necessary," Karliah said after he told them his thoughts. "I anticipated the problem and was going to let you ride my horse while I followed on foot, but Gulum-Ei was strangely generous when I stopped by yesterday for that armor. I managed to acquire a horse from him for next to nothing." She gave him a very pointed look, making it clear she knew he was the cause of the Argonian's sudden largesse.

He purposely avoided the subject. "Does anyone need anything before we go?" After stopping to get more food for the now-blushing Dragonborn, they left the city. The other horse was already waiting with theirs, so they were able to leave without further delay. He didn't want to push too much, but he was relieved when they made it to Whiterun that night without having attracted any particular attention.

He made love to her quietly and gently that night, cognizant not only of the pregnancy, but also of her housecarl in the next room and of Karliah downstairs, reading in a chair by the fire. "Well, at least I know you can't knock me up," she whispered to him with a breathy little giggle. He _had_ tried to sleep, but she was right next to him and it was impossible to hide his erection when her bum was pressed against it. "I won't break, I promise," she whispered as he slowly slid into her from behind. They stayed that way, lying on their sides with their legs entangled and one arm over her with his hand on her breast, even long after they finished.

In the morning, he looked at her body in the light. Her belly looked as flat as ever, and he was having trouble imagining a baby growing inside. Her nipples did look a little darker, but everything else looked the same as always. She looked at him with sleepy amusement. "Did you want to count my teeth, too?"

"I'm just checking on you," he replied defensively. "You _were _just imprisoned and tortured, _and _you're carrying my child." She giggled at his reaction, and he realized he might've taken it a bit more seriously than intended. _Wait, now _I'm _overreacting? I'm not the pregnant one! _"Breakfast, lass?" he offered.

Her smile fell. "No, no food," she answered curtly. Her face was paling as she got up and turned away from him. He bit the inside of his lip to stop himself from laughing, instead following her and rubbing her shoulders sympathetically.

They made better time that day. In Windhelm they ended up trading the horse for Shadowmere's upkeep and a decent purse of gold, which they gave to Karliah in recompense. He suggested they spend a night in Windhelm, but the Dragonborn insisted they try for Riften. She looked uneasy and a little frightened, so he acquiesced, recognizing that the city held unpleasant memories for her.

It was late and dark when they finally returned to Riften. Karliah excused herself to return to Nightingale Hall, but not before the two women had engaged in a furtive conversation ending in a hug. He raised an eyebrow at the Dragonborn and she just smiled at him innocently.


	26. Chapter 26

_As always, thank you for reading, reviewing, etc! I have writer's block I guess...this is the best I could do._

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><p>They had returned to her house first, dropping off a few things and then heading straight for the guild. The cistern was fairly empty and quiet, so they went on through to the Flagon. It was surprisingly dead as well, with a few small scattered groups talking in low voices. Delvin and Vex were at the bar, actually having a civil conversation, from the looks of it. At least, Vex hadn't drawn her weapon and no one was bleeding, so it was civil enough, even if they were arguing.<p>

Vex saw them first as they walked up, and punched Delvin's arm to catch his attention. "Finally, you two are back. You can clean up your own mess, then. Good." She turned and walked away, leaving them confused and Delvin frustrated.

"I think I almost got her that time, Bryn!" he grumbled. "You have crappy timing."

"What mess was she talking about?" she interrupted his complaints.

"Maven, mainly. She's been looking for both of you, won't say why, but she's pissed. Glad I'm not you, that's for damn sure," he scoffed.

"Anything else?" she quizzed him.

"Nope, not really."

"I'm going to sleep then," she announced, giving Brynjolf a kiss good night. She went back to the cistern to sleep, rather than going back to her house. The very thing she had loved about the house was the reason she didn't feel too safe there now-the door out of Riften. After her time trapped in that cell, she wasn't going to take any chances. She was exhausted from riding so much, her throat tickled and her body was starting to ache again. She couldn't get the sleep she needed if she was worrying about someone walking in and grabbing her, and the thieves were quiet anyway.

As usual, her dreams were anything but restful. Flashes of the past few weeks played through her head, good and bad, but mostly bad. She woke up at some point to find Brynjolf curled up holding her, one of his hands covering her stomach, and she snuggled into him. Her dreams quieted after that, or at least she couldn't remember them.

She still wasn't fully rested when she woke up and her throat and head hurt, but she wasn't about to keep Maven waiting in a bad mood. Brynjolf had found her some guild master's armor the night before while she was sleeping, to replace what she'd lost to the Thalmor. It was a little loose, but she was going to be getting bigger, anyway. The thing she missed the most was her mask, Krosis. She had other masks, but that one was her favorite.

They found Maven in Mistveil Keep, Hemming sitting next to her as always. Her stony eyes followed them as they walked up to her throne. "It's about time you showed up. No, I don't want to hear your excuses. I want my message, now."

"That's the problem," she began. Maven's eyes widened and her eyebrows lifted, her nostrils flaring as she opened her mouth to deliver a scathing reprimand. "The Thalmor took it when they captured me." Brynjolf slipped his hand onto her lower back, rubbing it soothingly.

"Then why are you here instead of retrieving it?" Maven berated her, her eyes flicking to the arm around her before continuing. "I don't know what you were thinking. You shouldn't have even come back without it. Now leave me, and I don't want to see your face again until you have it in your hands."

"I'm sure General Tullius would be fine with writing another..." she started to say.

"As far as the general knows, I have everything under control. I don't care how you get it, but you will not tell him otherwise. Do I have to spell everything out for you? Now go," Maven barked at her. She felt her eyes starting to burn, so she spun and stalked out of the Keep, Brynjolf hurrying to catch up to her. The last thing she wanted was to start bawling in front of Maven. She would never live it down if she had; what kind of a guild master cried, anyway? Especially in front of Maven. But she didn't want to go anywhere near the Thalmor again, not if she could avoid it, not for anything.

...

As always after a lecture from Maven, Brynjolf felt like strangling something, and as usual, he pushed that feeling to the back of his mind. He wasn't sure how they were going to go about retrieving the letter. Everywhere they'd been would now be even more closely guarded. How utterly typical of Maven to send people to risk their lives just so she could save a little face. Still, business was business, and they had little choice but to do whatever she wanted.

Once they were outside and well away from the Keep, he stopped her. "Any ideas?" She turned to him, face pale and eyes suspiciously shiny. "Are you okay?"

"I think I'm just getting sick again," she answered, blinking. "We either need to find out where the Thalmor have it, or we need to get a copy of the original intel without the general's knowledge." She looked sicker with every passing second, and he was starting to think he should've just handled Maven himself. He stroked her cheek, confirming that she was once again running a fever. _Hadn't she just been cured of that in Solitude?_

"You're hot," he told her. She started giggling and he realized his poor phrasing. "You have a _fever,_ lass. Let's go find a priest or something." She kept giggling as she followed him. There was that priestess that was always out by the Shrine of Talos. One of the Snow-Shods, if he remembered right, the one whose daughter had been a Stormcloak.

As he'd guessed, the priestess was by the shrine and more than willing to help. Once she realized she was pregnant, she started fussing over her. "Now, you need to slow down. You can't just go off killing dragons anymore. Don't travel much, and by Talos, no more horses! Go home, rest, and eat while you're at it. You're too thin."

At least she had stopped giggling by now and had a little more color in her face, but now she looked chagrined. Maybe it wouldn't be as hard as he'd thought to get her to relax and let him take care of things, especially Maven's task.

Once they were back in the cistern, though, she was back to business. "Back to Solitude then. We should leave soon, I don't want Maven getting any angrier. You are coming with me, right?"

"Hold on lass, you're not going anywhere. You heard what the priestess said. No traveling and you need your rest," he told her firmly. _And after what I did, we should probably stay far, far from Solitude, but she doesn't need to worry about that, too._

"She didn't say _no _travel, she said very little travel, and that I should stay off a horse. We _must_ get that information, even if I have to ride in a damn wagon to get there," she insisted.

"And we can send someone from the guild to get it for us. You don't have to do everything yourself. I'm not letting you go, no." He was determined to stand his ground this time, and get it through her head that she needed to take care of herself or she'd lose the baby and maybe her own life as well.

"You're not _letting_ me? _Letting _me? You _dare_ think I'm going to wait for _your permission _to do my job?" She was livid, and he realized the cistern was suddenly empty but for the two of them. Apparently the other thieves had more sense than he did.

"I misspoke," he told her quietly. "I'm sorry. I just don't want to lose either of you." She looked a little calmer, so he put a hand on her shoulder. "Please, we can send someone else. Vex could do it; she was our best until you came along." He pulled her to him and kissed her. "I love you," he whispered in her ear. "Stay here with me." She pulled back from him a little, thinking wistfully, her eyes focused somewhere far below the ground at their feet. He wanted to take away the sadness in her gaze, and he wasn't sure how.

"I'm not used to this," she admitted, meeting his eyes. "I'm not used to having to worry about someone else living inside me. Sometimes...it's like I want to break free of my own body and fly away."

He hadn't considered that she might be having second thoughts about even having the baby. She had seemed happy when he told her, and he had assumed her feelings had remained the same. "Are you thinking about...about not going through with it?" he asked her gently.

Her eyes filled with unshed tears, and he felt sick with guilt and worry. "I don't know. I really don't know what I'll do. There are just so many things I have to do, all these places I'm supposed to be, and I don't know how I can do it if I'm sitting here on my ass _resting_. I want to-I want to have your baby, nothing would make me happier, but there's so much on my shoulders and some of it...most of it can't be set aside."

"Then let me take care of whatever I can," he begged her, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye with his thumb. "Anything you need."

She sighed. "There are some things you need to know." He took her hand and pulled her over to the table to sit down and eat, although all she did was pick at a piece of bread while she talked. "I still have a few secrets I haven't shared yet, and not without reason, but now...well, you should know now. Do you know anything about how the Brotherhood operates, internally I mean?"

"Not specifically. I know Delvin had a thing for the leader a while back, but that's it," he answered, shaking his head.

"Astrid's dead now, killed by her own insecurities..." She looked a little angry, but sad and regretful at the same time. He wondered about the story behind that look, although he didn't want to interrupt her to ask. "But that's not what I was getting at. When people pray to the Night Mother, she relays all of their prayers to us by speaking directly to one individual that she has selected for the task, for the rest of their life." He thought he saw where this was going, and he wasn't sure what to think. "That person is called the Listener, and that person is me. I have to see the Night Mother regularly to receive the contracts. I don't have to do any of them myself if I don't want to, just hear them and pass them on to be handed out."

"So you need to be in Dawnstar regularly?" he asked her, dreading the answer he knew was coming. Once upon a time he would've been freaked out by the whole thing, but after being spoken to by Nocturnal it seemed almost normal.

"Exactly. The old sanctuary was by Falkreath, but that was destroyed, so we had to move to Dawnstar," she explained. "I usually visit about once a month."

That wasn't as bad as he had thought, although it certainly wasn't good news. "Is there anything else?" he wondered.

"I once was a werewolf but now I'm not," she blurted out, giggling. He opened his mouth, but before he could even think of the right question to ask she had moved on. "About the papers I found-the Thalmor are quietly moving large amounts of their people into the cities and mapping their weaknesses. The letter I was carrying included the information specific to Riften. I think they're getting ready to make another move, maybe invade, I don't know, but that's what has Maven so angry."

Something horrible fell into place in his mind just then. He realized he'd walked right into a trap, been manipulated and played like a fool. When they had taken her, they had known who she was and what she was, and they had known that _someone_ would come after her. And if that rescue hadn't been enough to provide a pretense for the Thalmor to take action against Skyrim, which it may have been, what he had done later at the embassy most definitely was. He wouldn't be surprised if they had contrived or at least anticipated some kind of extreme reaction from him, since they obviously knew their relationship. _I can't just fuck up like normal people and end up in jail for a day, can I. I have to go and start a damn war._

"Bryn? What's wrong? Don't tell me you have morning sickness, too," she joked, then looked at him again and frowned. "What is it?"

"I've done something terribly stupid," he said, and he told her what had happened.

She was impassive through much of the story, although by the end she looked rather stunned. He did see her lips curve into a quick smile when he described how he had left Elenwen, however, but it faded quickly once she grasped the larger implications.


	27. Chapter 27

_Not happy with this chapter, will never be happy with this chapter, so I just posted it. I've had a bad week and I just don't have patience or anything._

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><p>Her feelings were such a mess. She loved Brynjolf all the more for every single Thalmor he'd slaughtered, and the thought of Elenwen left naked, bloody, and tied to the furniture was far too delicious for her not to be utterly delighted, but it wasn't worth a war. Not that she could do anything about it now. For some reason, Ulfric and Galmar popped into her head, and she could imagine them toasting his actions in Sovngarde.<p>

"You realize they manipulated much of the Stormcloak rebellion, right? I don't think Ulfric ever really caught on to that. They were pulling strings to keep the war going as long as they could, even trying to free Ulfric when we were at Helgen. You're not the only one they've tricked," she assured him.

"But Ulfric's _dead_," he pointed out.

"Because he never realized the extent of what was going on, or he didn't want to admit it even to himself," she retorted. "There are probably dozens of reasons he's dead, but that isn't the point. My point is that we know some of their plans and we can do something about it. Go ahead and send Vex to Castle Dour to find the information on Riften for Maven. At least she wasn't seen with us in Solitude. And I'm actually a little hungry..." she trailed off.

The wheel of cheese on the table was looking tastier by the second. She cut into it once Brynjolf had left, and before long she'd eaten the whole thing. People had started trickling back in, and she was halfway through a green apple when he came back.

"She's on it," he reported, eying the empty expanse of table in front of her. "Did you..?" She shot him an embarrassed look, and he grinned as he straddled the bench and faced her. "Is there anything else you need?"

"Well..." she said mischievously. "I can think of a few things you could do for me. Not _here _though." The sewers had really started to stink recently and she was dying for fresh air before the cheese and apple made a reappearance, so she had him walk outside with her.

"So, I'm also supposed to stay in Riften and advise Maven as a representative of the Legion," she mentioned as they were strolling down the docks. "That's where the general wants me, although obviously he isn't as aware of things down here as he might think. And he might have changed his mind already, for all I know." She sighed, worrying again about how she could manage to be in so many places at once.

"You're still going to follow his orders? He would have left you in that cell!" Brynjolf sounded outraged, and she couldn't really blame him. She understood both sides of the situation, even if she didn't like it, and she knew that sometimes there wasn't a good solution. Also, at least she had gained a better grasp of her associates' loyalties and priorities.

"He'd be a poor general to risk so much for one soldier, though," she explained. "And besides, I doubt he was unaware of the note you were given. He didn't get to be a general by allowing his subordinates to pass notes with secret information to whomever comes looking for one of his men." She sat at the end of the dock dangling her feet over the edge, gazing out into the lake.

He sat down with her, frowning. She scooted closer to him, leaning her head on his shoulder, and he put his arm around her waist. "You are so much more than a soldier," he told her seriously. "I would never just leave you like that. I need you, lass." He gently turned her chin so that she was facing him. His eyes were intense, and her heart started racing. She couldn't look away, not that she ever wanted to. "Would you consider...marrying me?"

Her heart skipped a beat and she wanted to say yes, but all that came out was a squeak. Her cheeks were burning and she could feel tears forming in the corners of her eyes. She hadn't thought that kind of formal commitment was likely to come up with him; she didn't doubt he would stick around, but neither of them were much for ceremony. He was watching her expectantly, looking worried, so she nodded with a smile. He swept her into a tight hug and she found her voice again. "Of course," she breathed into his ear. "I would love to be your wife."

...

After how she had gaped at him, Brynjolf was relieved when she said yes. He had asked somewhat impulsively, although he'd been considering it ever since he found out about the pregnancy. His life was so intertwined with hers now that it only made sense to make it official. Besides, he wanted her to know he would be at her side, and he wanted the whole world to know that she was _his_.

Her voice in his ear had made blood rush to his groin, and her hungry kisses amplified the effect. He wanted to take her right there on the docks, but he was aware of the eyes around them and he didn't feel like putting on a show for half of Riften. Still, it was hard to pull away from her long enough to speak. "When do you want to do this, then?" he asked her.

She thought for a moment. "The sooner we do it, the less of a big deal it'll be. Unless you wanted...?"

"No, I agree. Smaller is better. Less coin."

She nodded and smirked at that. "Exactly, not that we need to worry about coin-ever, probably."

He had known she was probably fairly wealthy, because they were all so much better off these days, but he hadn't ever considered the extent. "How do you figure that?"

She giggled. "You're so cute, like a dog that's caught a scent, except you smell gold." He cringed, wondering when he'd gotten so terrible at hiding his thoughts or if it was just that she knew him well. "Don't worry, it doesn't bother me. I'm just joking." She squeezed him and smirked, gazing up at him through her eyelashes. _Maybe she does just know me that well, _he decided. "But to answer what you're _really _curious about, we're ridiculously rich. Five houses, fully furnished, and enough gold to buy them all over again, plus whatever else I've picked up along the way-lots of gems, a decent book collection, enchanted weapons and armor, alchemy ingredients, and so on. Satisfied with that?" she teased him, grinning.

"Satisfied? Do you even need to ask? No wonder Maven always glares at you. Aren't you a thane in several holds, too?" She nodded in response, and he dropped his voice, thankful for the cacophony of the docks. "She's threatened by you, isn't she." He had a hard time not laughing at the thought of Maven intimidated by anything.

"Threatened? Maybe. Okay, probably. I suppose people like me better than her, too, not like that says anything about _me_." She giggled at her own joke, but he found it endearing. "I have no interest in quarreling with her, of course. Not that I expect she'll ever believe it, nor do I blame her. Still, it'd be nice if she wasn't _always_ such a bitch."

"I wouldn't hold my breath," he told her dryly.

"So..." she said. "Wanna go get married?"

"Now?" he asked. She grinned at him and nodded. _Well, why not now? Can't get any sooner than now. _"Now's good. Let's go then." He grinned back at her as he stood and took her hand, helping her to her feet. He kept her hand in his all the way back into town.


	28. Chapter 28

_Thanks again for reading, reviewing, etc! So, as for removing arrows, I know nothing, but I know they don't just disappear on their own. And I figure by now she has done that sort of thing a lot. Beyond that I just kinda made it up. Also I wanted to mention that I have a lot of shit going on in my life right now, so I apologize if I don't update this as frequently. Important things to do, lass, we'll speak another time._

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><p>At the temple, Maramal asked for an hour to set things up. She wasn't sure what he could possibly need to get ready, but there were always odd rituals priests had to complete, and she assumed this was much the same. He had needed a bit of coaxing to agree to do it that soon, but between the persuasive powers of the two thieves and a bit of gold his mind was quickly changed.<p>

They ended up wandering around Riften again, waiting for the hour to pass. She realized she hadn't yet discussed the general's offer of clemency with Brynjolf, so she brought it up. "He offered to forget the guild's existence indefinitely if we help him with this...conflict? He wasn't very specific, but I think he needs spies. Well, assuming he hasn't changed his mind after...you know." She gave him a disapproving look, but she couldn't hold it and started smirking instead. "I thought I'd see what he needs. Chances are it isn't that difficult, and it would be good to have someone that powerful on our side."

"Sounds like it could be a good opportunity, provided he keeps his word," he replied skeptically. She could tell he still didn't entirely trust him, so she decided not to mention that it had been more of an order than a request. Sooner or later he'd have to learn to trust him at least as her commanding officer, but hopefully it would be later. She wasn't naive enough to ignore the looming threat of the Thalmor entirely, though; they would need to be dealt with eventually, and that probably meant she'd have to help.

"He always has," she reminded him. "He never promised me rescue, but he still helped you find me." He nodded, still looking unhappy about it.

As they turned to walk along the path by the wall, she thought it was time to change the subject. "It's the strangest thing, but I think I'm getting hungry again. Either that or I'm going to throw up." She stopped a second, but continued speaking. "Nope, I'm hungry."

"Sweet roll?" he offered, producing one seemingly out of nowhere.

"Yes, please," she answered, grabbing it with a grin and taking a bite. _Like he read my mind before I even thought,_ she thought contentedly. He wore a look of amused pride watching her eat, making her feel self-conscious, so she started walking again.

She felt something hit the back of her thigh, then pain shot through her leg and it went limp. She dropped the rest of the sweet roll and would have fallen if Brynjolf hadn't caught her. He glanced down at her leg and winced. She followed his gaze and saw an arrow had passed most of the way through her leg. He half carried, half dragged her around the corner, eyes seeking the source of the arrow. "I'll be fine, go catch him," she urged him through clenched teeth. He looked over her quickly with a worried look, then ran off to find the archer.

Her dagger in hand, she looked over the arrow wound. One of the ends would of course have to be removed to pull it out, but otherwise it was a fairly glancing shot, having missed hitting anything vital. At least that much was good news. She held the arrow in place, then snapped off the back end with her dagger and a thumb. Tying a handkerchief just above the wound, she took and deep breath and pulled the arrow the rest of the way through. Once she got it out, she tightened the makeshift bandage over the wound, wondering if Brynjolf had managed to catch the archer.

A light thump caught her attention, and she looked up to find an Altmer standing over her, dressed in unusual splotchy grey and brown leather armor and wearing a hood that shadowed his face. She gripped her daggers tightly as she tried to scoot towards a more public spot, but he chuckled coldly and stepped in her path. She tried to use the building behind her to help her stand, but she was unsteady.

Everything happened at once. She flung herself at him daggers first, trying to knock him down with her body. Her attacker was casting a spell at her and barely missed as she lunged at him. She caught a glimpse of his shocked face just before Brynjolf cut his throat from behind, spraying her with blood.

To her horror, the corpse turned to ash and scattered in the breeze, leaving nothing of importance behind. _Necromancers? _She wiped her cheeks where the blood had hit her and found only a greasy residue. It was too much for her stomach to handle, and she turned to the side and vomited.

...

When Brynjolf ran to catch the archer, he caught a glimpse of him on a rooftop and tried to follow him from the ground. Once he saw a clump of moss falling from the eaves, then he caught a flash of movement on a balcony, and next it was a shingle sliding down the angled rooftop. Always, just when he thought he'd lost them, he'd catch another hint. He realized he was being led away from her and doubled back, arriving just in time.

He rubbed her back and averted his eyes as she threw up, looking around to make sure no one else was coming up on them. There was at least one other out there, the one who had tried to lead him away, who might have been a mage. The pile of ash was discomfiting because he could only assume magic was involved, and that meant he was at a disadvantage.

Once she was ready he helped her stand, supporting her on the side on which she had been shot. She wasn't as badly hurt as he'd feared, but still he felt protective of her. Nothing seemed to slow down the Thalmor, and they seemed to be very, very focused on her. He wasn't sure where would be safe.

She interrupted his anxious thoughts by saying, "Well, I think it's been an hour."

He had forgotten about the wedding, his own wedding. _And that's a phrase I thought I'd never say! But I know it takes far more than one arrow to stop her, so we might as well keep our plans. _Laughing, he agreed and they limped towards the temple.

The priest looked horrified when he saw the bloody bandage on her leg, but at least he proved helpful in healing it. "And you're sure you want to do this now? If you'd rather wait..."

She shook her head emphatically. "No, we need to do it now." Then she leaned forward conspiratorially and whispered to him, "We need to leave town because there are people after me." She gestured to her leg. "But _keep it to yourself_." Brynjolf wondered if they really were leaving or if she was just trying to throw them off their track.

The priest swallowed, suddenly and visibly nervous. "Okay then, let's get started." He launched into his speech quickly. While he was talking, Brynjolf peeked at her from the corner of his eye and found her peeking back at him. He grinned and winked at her and she blushed and smiled back, then returned her attention to the priest, who was still reciting his prayer as fast as he reasonably could. Watching her calmed his nerves somewhat, and he took her hand in his as he started listening again.

"...Do you agree to be bound together in love, now and forever?" the priest finished, looking at him expectantly.

"I do..." he said, pausing for a second as his mind went blank. _What was the rest of it?_ he thought frantically. "...Now and forever," he finished hesitantly. That must have been the right thing to say, because the priest turned to her next. She repeated the line, her voice wobbling by the end. He squeezed her hand to reassure her.

The priest pronounced them married and gave them matching wedding rings. He slipped his on immediately, thinking about how simple it had been to do something that was supposed to be such a big deal. She put hers on as well and looked at him with a satisfied little smile. "I caught you!" she whispered, lacing her fingers through his.

"I thought _I _caught _you_," he corrected her with a smile, then leaned over and kissed her before she could protest.


	29. Chapter 29

_Thanks for reading, reviewing, etc. I've been busy, barely had time to finish this and proofread it to get it out today. Hopefully I didn't miss too many errors. I still have a lot going on, but I'm trying my best to keep this going in a timely fashion. Stupid summer vacation coming up, taking away all my me time!  
><em>

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><p>She was relieved that the ceremony was over quickly and without fuss. Having a lot of eyes on her had always bothered her, even before she started taking things. No one had tried to kill her during the ceremony, which was another relief. And even better, neither of them had changed their minds and run, although she supposed the situation made that far less likely. She was happy, truly, but she was looking forward to being back underground.<p>

They walked straight back to the cistern afterwards. She was trying to act normal, but she couldn't stop blushing and smiling. _Stupid hormones!_ No one paid them a second glance though, so a plan started to shape in her head. "Hey, you got your vault key?" she asked him mischievously.

"Aye," he replied, looking curious. "Why?"

She leaned over to him, putting her hand on his shoulder, and whispered in his ear, "Privacy." She let her hand slide down his back and linger on his butt.

Brynjolf swallowed and nodded, lust creeping into his expression. "Right." They opened the door in a hurry. It was pleasant to confirm that the vault was much more full than the last time she'd seen it, but she had other things on her mind.

A second after the door shut, his lips slammed into hers. She staggered back a step and clung to him for balance, although he had already caught her anyway. He lifted her onto a nearby table, continuing to kiss her, then started removing her armor. She started on his, and soon enough they had both managed to undress. Her hand reached out towards his erection almost of its own volition, but he stopped her.

"Wait, now slow down, lass," he admonished her, taking hold of her hand and kissing it playfully. She shivered as his breath hit her palm, and he moved closer to her. He let her hand go as he started kissing her neck, then quietly spoke in her ear, "Let me."

He kissed a trail down to her breasts, taking one nipple into his mouth and lightly sucking. With his other hand he fondled her other breast, lightly pinching the nipple between thumb and forefinger. She ached inside for him and tried to angle her hips invitingly while pulling him closer with her legs, but he just looked up at her, eyes full of mischief and lust. He gave the other nipple a short, strong suck that was just shy of painful, making her gasp, then moved down to her belly. He paused just below her belly button, glancing up at her with a much gentler look, then gave her belly a couple of quick light kisses.

After pulling her closer to the edge of the table, he tentatively slipped a finger inside her, and she moaned appreciatively. He slipped another finger in her as he spread her lips and lightly lapped at her. She felt his fingers curl up inside her, stroking up and forewards, finding a spot that made her vision dissolve into sparkles. His tongue kept flicking over her in just the right place, faster and faster. She moaned as she felt herself about to lose control, "Bryn, I'm gonna..." As she felt him speed up even more, she couldn't hold back any longer. Euphoria overtook her and she moaned his name again, losing awareness of her surroundings for a moment.

As she caught her breath, she pulled him to her and whispered, "I love you...husband."

She heard and felt his sharp intake of breath, followed by a heartbeat of silence before he replied, his voice low and gravelly with emotion. "I love you, too, my wife."

As she met his eyes, she reached down and guided him into her. He thrust into her roughly, then again more gently as she kissed him. His stubble scratched her cheek and she could feel his chest hair tickling her where her breasts were pressed against his bare skin, but she loved the masculinity of his hairiness all the same. She even loved the way he would sweat when they made love, leaving her covered in his scent. The scent of him drove her crazy, making her heart race and her stomach warm.

She lifted her leg and wrapped it around his waist, wanting more of him inside her. The table creaked ominously, so they moved to a rug on the ground, leaning against a chest. She straddled him on her knees, sliding him back inside her and then rocking back and forth. His eyes rolled back at first, but then he focused on her, caressing one of her breasts and pinching a nipple. She twisted atop him, trying to get a better angle to rub against him. Her pace increased, and she felt Brynjolf's fingers grow a little clumsier in response. She squeezed him inside her, feeling herself getting closer to orgasm. He groaned upon feeling her tighten around him, thrusting his hips up to meet hers as he started to come. Slipping her hand down between them, she followed him almost immediately.

Afterwards, she slumped bonelessly to lie atop him, both of them breathing heavily and sweating. She kissed him lightly on the cheek and slid to one side, and he smiled at her sleepily, looking content and hugging her close to him. She closed her eyes, enjoying the closeness and security in his arms.

...

Several hours later, they cautiously went out to the Flagon, still worried about the earlier attack. Brynjolf hoped their enemy wasn't this close, but he knew they had been through here before and doubted they would stop outside this time. She kept to the shadows mostly, which was a relief to him because she was sometimes a bit braver than he would consider wise.

He found Delvin flirting with a little blond wood elf at the bar. When he greeted him, she blushed and slipped away behind him. Delvin turned and watched her go with a sigh, although she took a seat with a friend not far away. "Every time," he grumbled.

Brynjolf wasn't sure why the girl had left, but he certainly hadn't meant to chase her away and he told him so. "Nah, it's okay. I'd ask about your day, but we already heard," he joked with a laugh, and Brynjolf stopped, confused.

"You heard already? Who told you?"

"How could I not hear? Everyone back there heard you guys. Nicely done, by the way," Delvin complimented him with a grin.

_Oh, they all heard _that. _Damn! We'll have to find somewhere else._ She stepped up to his side, clearing her throat and startling Delvin. He took her hand, as amused by her sense of timing as he was the first time she'd walked into the Flagon. His old friend's eyes followed the simple gesture, lingering a moment on his ring, then glancing at hers and widening in surprise before he looked back at Brynjolf and grinned.

"Congratulations?" he offered. He smiled and nodded in response, letting go of her hand to wrap his arm around her waist. She leaned on him meekly and looked up at him sweetly, suddenly the perfect adoring wife. Delvin looked a bit stunned by her display and Brynjolf couldn't help but smirk smugly at him.

"Right then. Hey Vekel!" Delvin called as the man returned to his bar. "Get these newlyweds a round on me, would ya?"

"That's _one_ way to tell everyone, I suppose," she commented dryly in a low voice. She was smiling though, and a blush was creeping into her cheeks. Her voice lowered further and she told him, "I shouldn't drink much. Help me cover, okay?" He agreed just as Vekel set their drinks in front of them.

"So you got married, eh?" the barkeep confirmed. "Congratulations." He gave them a tight smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Brynjolf cringed inwardly, realizing the man was probably still in pain. "Funny, I never figure you as one for marriage," he said to him before turning. He mumbled something to himself about being wrong as he walked away to serve other people.

Delvin toasted them, drawing more eyes, although no one in the immediate vicinity seemed inclined to actually say anything. Word must have spread, though, because over the next few hours various members of the guild stopped to offer congratulations. They kept having to switch drinks surreptitiously, and Brynjolf was drinking twice as much twice as fast as usual. As the night went on, the swapping was more and more her doing as he tried to keep up with the drinking.

She must've finally realized how obvious their ruse was becoming, because she made their excuses and helped him back to the much quieter cistern, arms around each other. "Sorry," she whispered to him. They reached her bed and she rummaged around in her bag, coming up with a potion that she tossed to him. It cleared his head well enough, and he pulled her onto the bed with him. She giggled and kissed him, pulling at the straps on his cuirass.

He wanted her again, despite having spent most of the afternoon inside her. She swiftly moved down his body, yanking his pants down and allowing his erection to spring free, then enveloping it in her mouth. The sudden sensation of warmth and moisture around him made him gasp and moan. She stopped for a moment to shush him, and he bit the inside of his lip in frustration, annoyed with himself for not keeping quiet.

When she started again, he tried to keep from making a noise. She flicked her tongue into the slit at the tip, then swirled it around the head, eventually taking all of him into her mouth and down her throat repeatedly. He tensed, breathing heavily and not wanting to end so soon, but then she slipped a finger into him, pressing just the right spot to push him over the edge. A happy sigh escaped his lips, despite his efforts at silence, and she released him from her mouth, swallowing as she did so. He pulled her into his arms and held her as he nearly instantly fell asleep.


	30. Chapter 30

_Sorry this took so long...I'm trying to get back into writing. It's a little slow going, though. Apologies if this is a bit bleh. Thanks for reading, reviewing, etc!_

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><p>A few days later, Vex returned from Solitude with a copy of the Thalmor report on Riften. The Dragonborn flipped through it eagerly, taking note of the problems she could easily fix. She tossed Vex a fat coin purse and thanked her.<p>

"No problem," Vex replied. "It wasn't easy, but it wasn't that hard either. Now what's this about you and Brynjolf? Delvin said something about you getting _married_, but that's ridiculous..." she trailed off as she saw the grin come over her guild master's face. "No way...well, congratulations. How'd that happen, anyway?"

Her smile faded a bit as she realized she didn't have a very good explanation for it, not without revealing more than she was prepared to reveal. "It was just kind of an impulsive thing. We thought we might as well make it official."

"Huh," Vex said skeptically, her brow furrowing. "Well, I have things to do. I'll be in the Flagon if you need me."

She left the Dragonborn staring at the book on her desk, frowning. A solution to one of her problems had come to her as she looked at the maps of Riften's underground. If she couldn't go to the Night Mother, why not bring her to Riften? There were plenty of nooks and crannies she could use. Maybe she could even set up a second Sanctuary; after the assassination of the Emperor, the Brotherhood was growing faster than it had in many years, if not decades.

She quickly copied certain maps and notes into her own notebook. Taking the original report with her, she walked quickly to the practice room, where Brynjolf was watching a few of their people beating on some straw dummies. He smiled when he saw her and she grinned back, her heart skipping a beat as a little surge of happiness washed over her. She quickly strode over to him and told him Vex had returned, gesturing to the notebook in her hand. "I'm taking this up to Maven now. Did you...?"

"I'm coming with you," he cut her off. She nodded in reply, and together they left the room.

She could tell Maven was relieved to have the report in hand, although the woman tried not to show it. As she skimmed the pages, she started giving orders to Hemming, who was sitting next to her at the table fumbling open a fresh pot of ink. Having opened it, he immediately started jotting down notes. She exchanged a glance with Brynjolf; he also looked relieved and a bit amused, and smiled when he caught her looking at him.

Maven cleared her throat, and she quickly turned her attention back to the annoyed-looking jarl. Her eyes darted from the Dragonborn to Brynjolf and back again, one of her eyebrows climbing its way towards her hairline. "I suppose congratulations are in order," she said reluctantly, but not unkindly. "I had a hard time believing it of either of you, but here you are. I hope it doesn't distract you from your duties, however. I'll let you know if further service is required of you. You may go now."

On the short walk back, she told Brynjolf about her idea for relocating the Night Mother. Although he looked a little worried, he agreed that it was probably the best solution. He wanted to be sure the two organizations remained separate, however, a condition to which she happily agreed. He had always claimed there was no money in killing. Since she knew that to be false, she had always assumed he just didn't feel comfortable with murder and avoided the topic. His concern confirmed her perception of his opinion.

She had noticed that many of the thieves seemed to look down on assassins, for whatever reason. Although she saw the difference between murder and theft, personally she thought that neither thieves nor assassins should be claiming any moral high ground. She had definitely put such concerns behind her. She had her own limits on what she was willing to do and for how much, but she was under no illusion that her actions were good. Brynjolf's opinion truly mattered to her though, she realized. Not only would she keep the two groups separate, but she might quit taking jobs, as well. As Listener, it even made sense for her to distribute the jobs to her subordinates rather than personally taking care of them herself.

Upon her return, she sought out Delvin to arrange for his assistance with modifying part of the sewers to house a small Sanctuary and the Night Mother. Her plan seemed to intrigue him, leading her to wonder if he was interested in taking on another role with its additional source of income. She followed the thought by mentally kicking herself, remembering that the boundaries needed to be kept clear. Although she supposed that didn't have to mean no one was allowed to _choose_ to take part in both lines of work...she would have to think more on it later.

Delvin agreed to get the construction going as soon as she paid him, and she quickly penned a letter to Nazir to let him know her plans, which Delvin also agreed to deliver via his contacts. Satisfied, she went back to the cistern to grab enough of her coin to get the Sanctuary started. Delvin grinned at the sight of the heavy coin purse. "I'll get my people on it right away, boss," he promised her as he made his payment disappear.

...

Brynjolf would have agreed to just about anything to keep her safe, especially while she was carrying his child. Hopefully, the new arrangement would work out and they would be able to spend most of their time together in Riften. He had lived here his whole life, and there was nowhere he knew better or felt more secure living with his family.

The next day, Maven sent for them again. She warned them that many of the underground passages leading out of the city would be sealed with metal grates. However, she had left them one hidden exit from the city, which she also expected them to guard in exchange for access. "And if you screw that up, I'll have both your heads. There is absolutely no room for error on this; the entire city's safety could depend on it. The only reason I'm allowing it at all is because _you_ are a Legate," she said, gesturing to his wife, "and as such will be responsible for the security of that 'gate', so to speak."

He was already thinking of how best to set up a guard rotation. Groups of two or three would be best, with one of the more senior thieves in every shift. He knew they definitely didn't want to have to take their goods through one of the main gates, and plenty of their people needed a surreptitious exit from time to time. As bothersome and dull as the duty would no doubt prove, it was unfortunately necessary. He still felt an icy stab in his gut when he thought of the injuries inflicted on his wife by the Thalmor. Etienne had also shared some of his experiences in the embassy's dungeon, which only served to solidify Brynjolf's abhorrence of them.

After the audience, they made their way back underground quickly. There had been no sign of whoever had attacked her on their wedding day, but he wasn't stupid enough to get complacent. He'd been doing his best to make sure she stayed out of sight. Convincing her to avoid too much time in the Flagon was easy enough once he pointed out that everyone would notice her not drinking and figure out their secret. Keeping her away from the rest of the town was a bit more difficult, although not as hard as he had thought it would be. If he didn't know better, he'd think she was sneaking out, but they were together frequently enough for him to have noticed her absence.

They soon settled into a comfortable pattern of daily life. Their guildmates grew accustomed to the two spending most of their time together, running the guild unified as one. Brynjolf was pleased with how well they were pulling in coin, now that they both had most of their attention on guild matters. Their instinctive cooperation on the battlefield transferred seamlessly to leadership issues within the guild, especially when the two needed to manipulate someone. He couldn't remember the last time business had been going so well, or the last time he'd been so content and...happy.

A few weeks later, Delvin informed them that the Sanctuary was ready. _"And_ we have a little surprise for you two, boss. Call it a wedding present. C'mon, I'll show ya." He led them back into the Warrens, past the large first room and into the winding passages on its far side. Brynjolf trailed behind the other two, still unsure of the need for his presence.

A moment later, he stopped in front of a black door carved with a skeleton and several skulls. Disturbingly, a low, unintelligible whisper came from the door, to which his wife smiled sadly and answered, "Silence, my brother." The door creaked open as she turned to Delvin and asked, "From Falkreath?"

"Aye, thought you'd like that," he replied with a grin. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go on in, then I'll show you guys your surprise."

_Inside their Sanctuary? _Brynjolf wondered, concerned over what Delvin had thought up this time. Usually he was fairly canny with such matters, but sometimes... _I'll just wait and see, _he told himself, still trailing several feet behind his wife, who was closely following Delvin.

He had no interest in becoming an assassin, although he didn't exactly disapprove of the profession, either. He didn't ever want to get to the point where killing someone meant nothing to him, or worse yet became a source of entertainment. That path would be too easy for him to follow were he to let himself get started, he feared, and so he was careful to avoid getting involved with assassinations. Besides, the bounties for murder were too high compared to the relatively small amount most killings paid. It wasn't worth the trouble for so little gold. Not to mention the no-killing policy of his guild, which was clearly at odds with the purpose of the Dark Brotherhood, and one of the main reasons he wanted them kept separate.

Finally they came to a bedroom. Delvin went straight to a wardrobe along the wall, pulling out a key and opening it. "Through here's what you've been waitin' for, Bryn." The back opened directly onto a flight of stairs, much to his wife's obvious delight. He couldn't help but smile at the excited grin on her face. She was absolutely radiant, all the more beautiful for having his babe growing in her belly. He followed her through the door and down the stairs into a large room. One wall had a fireplace in its center, a cookpot standing nearby. A table and chairs were next to the staircase they had just descended, and each of the other two walls had a door.

Delvin opened the door across from the stairs and told them with a wink, "Bedroom's through here." The room wasn't large, but it had a double bed and a few other bits of furniture, more than enough room for them. They returned to the main room, where Delvin drew their attention to the last door. "That leads to the cistern, the practice room actually. Here." He pulled out another key and opened it, revealing a long earthen hallway shored up with timbers. As he promised, the other end was in the practice room, hidden by yet another wardrobe. She smiled again.

Brynjolf was rather pleased with the new living arrangement, and not just because they would finally have some privacy. It was also a defensible space, all doors opening inwards so that they could blockade them if necessary, two exits with excellent locks, and the bedroom to fall back on if one of those doors should be compromised. No doubt Delvin had planned it that way. He really had to give the old man credit; it was a truly thoughtful gift, and one they'd probably use for years to come. Even connected to the Sanctuary as it was, he realized it didn't bother him as much as he would have thought. _Perfect for keeping them safe, and that's the important part._ "Thanks, Delvin, truly. We really appreciate it."

"Eh, it's the least we could do after all you guys have done for all of us. No way those Thalmor will be able to get in here," he assured them.


	31. Chapter 31

_Sorry for the delay. I have not given up on this story, though. I have plans! Big messy ones! As always, thanks for reading, and please review!_

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><p>Days turned into weeks, and everyone was growing accustomed to the new arrangement under Riften. Her belly grew, and as her armor became tighter and tighter she knew she wouldn't be able to hide it much longer. Finally, the morning came that she could no longer fit without looking absurd. Her bladder had woken her early, as it did most days now. She glanced over at the bed, where Brynjolf was still fast asleep, one foot poking out from under the blanket. Smiling to herself, she covered his foot as she made her way over to borrow his armor. It fit her surprisingly well, although the sleeves were a little baggy. She grabbed hers and headed out to the Flagon to use Arnskar's work table to enlarge it.<p>

Thankfully, the bar was mostly empty in the early morning. It was a bit later than most liked to return, but too early for anyone to have woken up yet. _Anyone without a baby resting on their bladder, that is. _She quickly got to work, now hoping to finish before anyone came by and noticed what she was doing.

When she returned, Brynjolf was sitting on the edge of the bed. He looked up at her, sleepy confusion showing on his face before his eyes ran down the length of her body and he smiled. "Ah, so that's where my armor went."

"Aye," she replied. "I didn't fit in mine anymore. Had to make room." She gently patted her stomach with a shy little smile, a light blush rising on her cheeks.

He chuckled and rested his hand on the curve of her belly. "I think it's time we shared the news, don't you, lass?"

"Probably," she conceded. "I just don't want to invite bad luck, that's all." She slipped out of his armor and sat down on the bed by his side, resting her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her in response and squeezed her lightly. She rested a few moments in his arms, eyes closed as she inhaled his masculine odor, leather, smoke, and his sweat with its undercurrent of whatever it was that unleashed swarms of butterflies in her stomach.

"There've been a few awkward silences," he mentioned, then paused, his grip on her loosening. She had noticed the same, of course, and the way some people studiously avoided looking at her waist. He finished his thought, "I don't think anyone will be too surprised."

"There's something you're not telling me, isn't there?" she asked, lifting her head to look at him. A brief flash of embarrassment crossed his face, and she knew she was right. She raised her eyebrows at him expectantly.

"I may have already told Delvin," he admitted carefully. "But only because he told me they were taking bets, and I thought it was a good chance to make a little extra coin for us."

"Bets? They're taking _bets?!_" She stood up, outraged, then sat back down as she realized she was over-reacting. These pregnancy-induced mood swings were driving her crazy, but she was finally getting better at managing her emotions and ignoring the hormonal storm inside her. "So do some people think I'm just fat, or what?"

"No, lass, I doubt that," he replied with a smirk. "You've done a good job of hiding it." He pulled her close to him for a kiss before she could reply.

A few hours later, they made their way to the platform in the center of the cistern. She had only stood there a handful of times before, preferring to keep to the sides of the room almost out of instinct. As a result, quite a few eyes were on them by the time she spoke.

"Everybody," she called out clearly and sternly. "I hear I need to clear something up for you guys." She paused for a moment, glancing at the faces around the room. Most of the thieves wore blank expressions on their face, although a few looked slightly worried. She made note of them, wondering if there was another reason for their concern. "Yes, we're having a baby."

...

Brynjolf saw money changing hands almost immediately after their announcement. He would have to get his share from Delvin later, when it would be less obvious. Not for the first time, he was grateful for his fellow guild members' tendency to gamble on anything and everything. A few came up to them and offered congratulations, and so he spent a few minutes talking with them before getting back to work.

Later that afternoon, he finally got a chance to go speak to Delvin. He grabbed some mead and joined him at his table, nodding to him as he sat down. He passed a bag of gold under the table to Brynjolf with a grin. No doubt he'd cleared a bit as well. After all, it wasn't _really_ stealing from their guildmates...they were just a little better informed than everyone else, that's all. Besides, what idiot would complain to his wife after betting on her pregnancy? He pushed it out of his mind.

An Imperial courier marched straight up to their table and stopped. His eyes darted between Delvin and Brynjolf before settling on the latter. With trembling hands, he pulled out a wax-sealed leather tube. To his credit, however, the lad did manage to maintain his military bearing despite his obvious fear.

"Sir, I have a message for the Dragonborn," the courier began, his voice squeaking on the last word. "Do you know where I can find her, sir?"

"Aye, lad," Brynjolf answered him, smiling in his least-threatening manner. "Just give it to me, and I'll see she gets it right away."

"Um..." he stammered, blushing. "I'm sorry, sir, really sorry, but I'm supposed to give it directly to her, and only her."

"Alright," Brynjolf replied, annoyed. "I'll just go get her then."

He found her sitting behind the desk, frowning at the ledger in front of her. "Anything wrong?"

She looked up at him and smiled. "Nah. Actually, I just glare at the desk so people won't bother me with stupid shit. What are you up to?"

He told her about the messenger, and together they went out to get the message. The courier flushed even redder when he saw her, obviously ogling her, and Brynjolf had to hide his smile. He would never admit it out loud, but he still counted himself very lucky to have her as his wife.

After the courier left, she cracked open the tube and pulled out a few sheets of paper. She frowned as she read, looking more and more unhappy. Finally she dropped the papers on the table with a sigh, staring off into the distance.

"Well, what is it, lass? What's wrong?" Brynjolf asked, growing more concerned as she sat there silently frowning.

"General Tullius says the Thalmor have left Skyrim. Their embassy and offices in Solitude are all empty, and his men haven't seen any of the justicars, either."

"What does that mean...?" he wondered aloud.

"War. It means we need to prepare for war."


	32. Chapter 32

_As always, thanks for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and all that stuff!_

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><p>A few hours later, she, Maven, and the other legate were clustered around the map table in the keep. "At least we hold the forts this time around. Much better than those hidden camps," he volunteered.<p>

She grunted "hmph" in response, still staring at the map and thinking. Military strategy wasn't her favorite topic, and her mind kept wandering to other related issues. The Thalmor had cut off communication and retreated to Alinor en masse from across the Empire. It was almost eerie how they all disappeared on the same day; surely they had planned their withdrawal well in advance in order to orchestrate it with such specific timing. It had to be a warning of sorts, a declaration of war. Why else would they all leave? No doubt they'd left sleeper agents all over, just waiting for a signal...but to do what?

For now, they would just have to secure the hold as best they could. Strategic locations would have to be protected particularly well. Obviously Riften would be covered as the hold's capitol, as well as Fort Greenwall, the main base for Imperial troops in the Rift. Also, the mine at Shor's Stone was particularly valuable with its ebony and quicksilver veins. Ivarstead couldn't be entirely forgotten, either. Finally, additional men would be posted at all roads crossing the border, even though it was unlikely they would be fielding an attack from the south.

"Do we have the men to cover this, though?" she asked worriedly.

"We must," insisted Maven. "I won't give up one bit of my hold. General Tullius will just have to send us what men we need. We're the closest to Cyrodiil; surely he'll see the need to keep our roads safe and clear...for supplies and the like."

_Who does she think she's fooling? We all know she just wants to keep business going and money flowing straight to her coffers._ But all she did was nod, hoping the general was smart enough to keep Maven content, at the very least.

After they planned the distribution of troops around the hold, she sent a courier to Solitude with the information, encoded in case the courier ran into trouble. Included in the message was the news of her pregnancy. Maven had already known, of course. Little news escaped her notice, especially in Riften. Far more shocking had been the woman's genuine smile at her announcement, even though it hadn't lasted long.

When she finally trudged back into the Flagon, Brynjolf was waiting for her. "Rough day, lass?" he asked her as she slumped into the chair next to his.

"The usual," she replied. "Standing around listening to Maven all day."

"Here, put your feet on my lap," he ordered her. She complied, curious to see what he would do in such a public place. He swiftly unbuckled her boots and slipped them off, then started rubbing her feet. The cramping she hadn't allowed herself to notice faded quickly under the care of his strong, deft fingers. She closed her eyes and sighed contentedly, trusting her husband to take care of her while she rested.

...

As the days and weeks went by, the tension caused by the Thalmor's departure slowly abated, although they kept on alert just in case. At the same time, Brynjolf started worrying more about the birth and the baby. However, his anxiety was partially alleviated when she first felt the baby move.

She teased him all afternoon and evening, brushing against him strategically and shooting him little mischievous glances. While he and Delvin were drinking in the Flagon, she had managed to subtly slip a hand down his pants and stroke him until he was so hard it almost hurt. She had abruptly quit though, grinning at him almost proudly before disappearing in the direction of the cistern.

He followed her after waiting just long enough to make it clear that he wasn't following her, and found her naked in their bed. She stirred as he slipped into the bed, turning to face him and then kissing him deeply. Her mouth was sweet and tasted of honey, and for a while the only sound to be heard was the whisper of skin on skin, punctuated occasionally by a kiss.

Eventually he could wait no longer to be inside her, and he had her roll onto her side, facing away from him. He slid into her, relieved and excited to feel her moisture and warmth around him. He rocked his hips gently against her butt as he snaked an arm around her to pinch one of her nipples, and she moaned and squirmed back against him.

Grabbing his hand, she moved it down between her legs. Taking the hint, he sought and quickly found her little nub, then deftly rubbed it, feeling a familiar little gush of warm fluids around his cock. She cried his name out while pushing back against him, and soon he felt her muscles start to tighten around him. He thrust himself deep into her while he increased the speed and pressure on her clit, and was rewarded with a scream of "Bryn! I love you, Bryn, Bryn..." as her muscles spasmed around him. Unable to hold back, he came as well, moaning against her back as he sank into euphoria with her.

They fell asleep laying there with him still partially inside her while he snuggled against her back, his hand protectively cupping her mound. Later, she woke him by grabbing his hand and guiding it up to her belly. "Do you feel that?!" she whispered excitedly at him.

His sleepy mind cleared quickly as he felt for the cause of her excitement. After a moment, he felt a bubbling sensation against his fingers, followed by his wife's giggle. "Is that..." he started to ask, then laughed with her. "Amazing," he murmured as he leaned over to kiss the area where his hand had rested. The baby felt more real than ever to him.

That night, he dreamed of being lost in a maze of dark corridors, chasing the terrified cries of a baby. No matter where he turned, he kept running into dead ends or switchbacks, and could never find the source of the screaming. He finally woke from the dream to find his heart pounding and his body drenched in sweat. His wife lay beside him, a slight smile on her face as she snored, her belly still round and no crying baby to be found.


	33. Chapter 33

_A/N: Found my muse in the South Pacific. Let's hope she sticks around this time! Apologies for life getting in my way. No promises, but I want to finish this._

Another message had arrived early in the morning. When she walked into the Flagon, Vekel immediately handed her a leather tube, sealed with wax bearing the impression of the wolf of Solitude. Cracking the seal, she pulled out a roll of parchment, out of which fell a small slip of paper. She skimmed past her name and titles and found an invitation to a party at the Blue Palace. Elisif wished to introduce someone "of great importance" to the political leaders of Skyrim, and requested the presence of the Dragonborn.

The small piece of paper was a message from General Tullius. He needed her to attend, both to assess the intentions of the guest of honor and to discover what threat, if any, the person posed to Skyrim and the Empire. He also had more information to share with her, so she would need to stop by Castle Dour for a briefing before the event. Absent-mindedly rubbing her belly, she returned to the Cistern to find Brynjolf. She knew he would be less than thrilled with the trip across the country, to say the least. However, with how rapidly relations with the Aldmeri Dominion were decaying, she knew Skyrim could ill afford for her to sit around with her feet up, waiting to be conquered by the Thalmor.

Brynjolf was sitting at the table in the Cistern, munching on a chunk of bread while listening to Vipir hit on Sapphire as he had nearly every day since they first met. As usual, Sapphire was having none of it, and rolled her eyes in his direction when she saw the Guildmaster approaching. Vipir snorted in frustration and headed towards the practice room after watching Sapphire's posterior move away from him. Brynjolf was still smirking when she sat next to him on the bench, facing the opposite direction of him, away from the table. "Hungry, lass?" he offered.

"Nah," she replied. "Well, yeah, of course," she revised, "but I need to show you this invitation, too."

"Invitation? To what?" he queried, brow furrowing.

"Elisif is having a party, up in Solitude," she told him. "I have to go, so I was thinking you might come, too...?"

"You couldn't keep me away if you tried, lass," he replied firmly. "But what's the significance? Why do you NEED to go?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"She wants to introduce someone to the court," she said. "And General Tullius needs me to attend, as well. I'll find out more after I talk to him, I'm sure."

"Hmph," Brynjolf grunted. "He didn't seem to care much when you were locked up by the Thalmor. Now he wants you to play spy for him? I don't like it."

"You know he couldn't openly help because of his position. He still managed to let you know where I was being held, though. Rikke doesn't do a thing without his say-so. Sometimes I wonder about the two of them..." She smirked at the thought, although Brynjolf's face remained concerned. "Anyway, I have little choice. He sent for me for a reason, meaning it involves the dragons or the Thalmor. Ulfric is gone, and the Stormcloaks have all but disbanded. He wouldn't need to be secretive about dragon problems, and I'd probably hear about it before him anyway, so that leaves the Thalmor."

"Wonderful." His frown deepened. "I'll see if I can find out what we'll be facing. Our contacts are bound to have some sort of info on what's happening in Solitude." He gave her a quick kiss and caressed her cheek, his usually bright green eyes dark with worry as they gazed into hers, and then he stood and was gone.

...

Brynjolf stopped by the Flagon to check up with Delvin before heading out. The older man knew just about everyone in Skyrim, not to mention his associations with those people in lands across Tamriel and even beyond. Brynjolf recalled one of his friend's favorite whores had taken to specializing in "serving" the influx of soldiers during the war, a decision that likely still served her well with the current Imperial occupation of Riften. If he remembered correctly, she was particularly popular with the officers, thanks to her own Imperial background and relatively elegant bearing and mannerisms. _Peony, that was her name, obviously an alias._

His own mother had once been a whore as well, his father one of her many clients, likely completely unaware of his son's existence. He wasn't ashamed of his lineage, not really, but he still preferred avoiding whores unless he was desperate. He still had painful memories of an early childhood in and around the whorehouses of Riften, before, during, and just after his mother's death.

"Del, you still know that girl, Peony? The blonde Imperial the officers were so fond of?"

With a quick nervous glance in Vex's direction, his friend nodded. "Yeah, I see her around time t' time. Do I wanna know why? Is the boss gonna be tearin' through here, out for yer blood? I wouldn't mind gettin' a head start outta here, if she is..."

"Oh, no, nothing like that," Brynjolf assured him. "Just looking for information, that's all. Have you heard anything about important visitors in Solitude, maybe related to the Thalmor? Someone that would matter to Jarl Elisif, and perhaps to the Imperials?"

"Nope, haven't heard of anybody important, not anyone people recognize, anyway," Delvin replied. "Just the usual nobodies that think they're somebody-ambassadors and the like. No Thalmor, that's for sure, an' little enough news comin' from out their way. Lots of people happy about that, don't seem to realize it'll probably be a bad thing for them. All the better for us, 'course, easy for things to come up missin' durin' wartime..." He smirked at the thought.

Brynjolf couldn't help but smile at the idea as well, although it was short-lived as he reminded himself that it wouldn't mean just riches for his family, but strife as well. "See what you can find out, okay, Del? As soon as possible."

"No problem," he said, downing his drink and standing up. He eyed Brynjolf mischievously. "Say, since this is a kinda business thing, d'ya think ya could..."

Brynjolf cut him off. "Okay, okay, just be quick about it." He sighed and handed him a coinpurse, which Delvin grabbed with a grin and a nod before striding off purposefully toward the Ratway.

A few hours passed before Delvin came back, unsurprisingly looking happier than he had earlier. "So, she didn't have much to say 'bout Solitude, 'though there was one little tidbit might be relevant. Just last night, one of her clients was bitchin' 'bout havin' to guard this high elf from the docks up to the Palace. Funny thing was, she comes off the boat all dressed in rags, and later he sees she's a servant. Servin' Elisif herself, he told her, but still a servant. Right after, he was sent out here to the Rift, to that fort up north a ways. Word is, he fell off the wall and broke his neck, day after he visited lovely Peony."

Brynjolf nodded, his forehead creased with worry. "Did she say anything else?"

"Oh Delvin, your cock-" he started, grinning widely.

"Stop! I've heard enough," he interjected, leaving Delvin laughing into the mead he had swiped while they were talking.


End file.
